The New Top Bladers
by Hoshi Neko Ryu
Summary: Tyson and the gang just got back from the World Championships and Mr. D has a surprise waiting for them. What will they discover with their new teachers? Author's note, there are multiple languages that are being spoken throughout this story.
1. Chap 1 Meeting New Top Blader and Sensei

Hello! My name is Ceres and I'm no longer of the living. Though I'm sure that no one will but you can learn more about my friends and me if you go the Digimon part and look for Sad Love Story (By Yamato Ishida). Anyway… when you read that then you'll understand why I'm doing this. This is about the BladeBreakers so don't worry that Digimon are going to be in this adventure… Anyway, onwards to the story…

Kai was walking to his old hang out where his gang was. It hasn't been too long since his team won the championship in Russia and what he did to them was still in his mind. He pulled out his blade and looked at the picture that held Dranzer, his loyal Bit Beast. He reached into his other pocket and pulled out the other Bit Beast, Dark Dranzer. His Grandfather gave it to him during the tournament so he would betray his team to gain their power. He switched the two before anyone noticed and tricked his Grandfather. Though he knew that everyone forgot he had it with him. Now Dark Dranzer was his and no one could take it away.

"Are you researching for something, young one?"

Kai stopped and looked to his side to see someone in a cloak. He hated people wearing those since they remind him of the other people in the abbey. He was about to walk away but she called to him again.

"Your old gang isn't around anymore."

He just looked at her though it was clear that he wanted answers.

"They were strong against most opponents but when the news reached them that you abandon them, they broke up. They have been taken over by another gang that isn't into blading."

"Why are you telling me this? How do you know?" His voice was cold, though it had a bit of warmth since he discovered how loyal his teammates are.

"You need to know. Since you have found happiness, you need to know. I'm a fortuneteller. Have a nice evening." She just walked away.

Kai didn't sense anything bad from her though he knew to be careful. It might it a trick from his Grandfather. He kept on his course, not caring what she said. After all, they're fake anyway.

When he entered his hangout, no one was there to greet him. He looked everywhere they would normally be but found no one. He couldn't believe that his gang would abandon him. Something caught his eye as he was in a narrow alley and only the streetlights for light.

"What's the matter? No one around to greet you home?" The voice was in front of him though he could only see the silhouette.

"What do you want?"

"I want you to hand over Dark Dranzer. You don't need him anymore."

"I don't have him."

"Don't pay dumb with me. We were watching you the whole time and I know that you have him with you."

"What if I don't?"

A golden rod with a point at the end was aiming at Kai's neck. Kai could almost feel the coldness of the metal but he wasn't showing his fear.

"Unless you want your teammates to be sad for your death, I suggest that you hand him over. After all, you have Dranzer. You don't need a dark one."

Kai reached into his pockets and remembered that he could launch his blade to get away.

"If you're thinking about an escape plan, don't. I'm not the only one here."

Kai couldn't tell whether or not he was bluffing. He couldn't risk it since not even his teammates knew that he still had Dark Dranzer. He took Dark Dranzer out and tossed it to him. He caught it without losing focus on him.

"Just so you know you only have your team to rely on now. We made sure that your gang wouldn't be a refuge." He pulled the rod back and walked to the side. Kai couldn't see where he went but he knew that he couldn't go after him. He continued his course down the alley.

The next day, the BladeBreakers that were in Japan met at the park. Mr. Dickenson had asked them to before they went their separate ways. Tyson yawned since it was early. Max was in the same boat but he didn't seem to mind so much. Kenny was typing away on his laptop as Kai had his eyes close, thinking only of how to find the guy that took Dark Dranzer from him.

"Good morning kids." Mr. Dickenson greeted as he reached them.

"Good morning. Why did you want to meet with us?" Kenny asked.

"I was hoping that you boys would get some training. Though the world tournament is over, there are other tournaments around the world that you could enter."

"But we're World Champs, why do we need to enter other tournaments?" Max asked.

"On top of that, why do we need training?" Tyson asked.

"There are a lot of good bladers that are out there. You might want to be prepared for them."

"Are we entered in another tournament?" Kenny asked.

"Yes, but it's not for a long while so you can take your time in training."

"Where is this one taking place?" Max asked.

"Australia. You'll be fighting against their strongest team. There will also be other teams there from around the world."

"So this is something like the tournaments in China and America." Tyson summoned up.

"Correct but there is one team that you have to be careful of."

"Really? Why?"

"Their sponsor is an expert on games. He chose everyone on his team and they're very good from what I've heard."

"If they're good then why didn't they enter the World Tournament?" Kenny asked.

"He didn't want them to enter since they were just starting out. He wanted them to get use to each other since they come from different countries."

"Is that all Mr. D?" Tyson asked.

"No, I have also asked two very powerful Bladers to help train you."

"We don't need other people teaching us anything." Tyson said in protest.

"Then I guess we're just wasting our time."

Everyone looked behind Mr. Dickenson to see a girl wearing strapless, jade green shirt with jade green, baggy pants; on her left hand had a purple, elbow glove and her right held a purple, forearm protector with a red jewel at the spike point; a band of purple metal in a shape that looks like wings that encircled around her chest and reached out from her arms to make a point; a white, little cape was on the back and it held another red jewel encircled in gold connecting the band in the front; a golden necklace held a green jewel; her hair was silver and a green cloth held it up; her earrings hung down before triangles appeared; the sunglasses were hiding her eyes but all the BladeBreakers present fell head over heels in that moment.

"I was wondering where you two were." Everyone was wondering who the other person was now.

"He's here. He's just taking his time. There's no need for both of us to be here at the same time. So are we training these 'Champs' or not?"

Mr. Dickenson looked at them and Tyson answered for the team, "Yea, we could use some training under instructors."

"Good, Mr. Dickenson you better keep your end of this."

"I will. You boys have fun now. Rei will join you as soon as he's wounds heal."

Everyone almost forgot about why he wasn't with them. Since his battle that got them their first victory in Russia, he has been badly hurt. Now he is in China, healing with his former teammates. Mr. Dickenson walked away and the place was silent.

"Sounds like someone died."

This time it came from a guy that wore a dark jade green, muscle tank top and bluish green, baggy pants; unlike the girl's, his showed his black boots; a black belt held his pants and a golden one hung at his side, holding a bright yellow case for a golden rod; his left arm held a metal wrist band with green spikes and for his right forearm, a green band with black for the edge; a silver stone hanging from a chain around his neck; his black shoulder blades held a long golden cape and something similar to a jacket collar; he also had a black neck choker that seemed to be made out of leather and connected with something that would connect a belt; he had blue stones and weird shape gold earrings on both ears but his left had the blue stone down and the golden up, the right had the opposite; his hair was red and tie in the back; his sunglasses also hid his eyes from the group but Kai recognized the voice and rod to guess that he was the one that took Dark Dranzer.

"What are your names?" Max asked.

"My name is Jade," answered the girl.

"I'm her brother, Krypton. It's nice to see the losers face to face."

"Losers?" Tyson got a little ticked.

"What do you mean 'face to face'?" Kenny asked.

"Mr. Dickenson had us watch you guys ever since you all competed to form this team." Jade answered.

"Why?" Max asked.

"He was going to have you train with us whether or not you won. Though of course if you didn't win, the training would be harsher."

"He had this all plan out from the beginning?"

"Hadn't you figured out that Mr. Dickenson is usually two or three steps of you or what you know? He always has a plan ready for anything." Krypton stated coldly, which reminded everyone of how Kai used to be.

"If you guys are powerful then why didn't you enter the local tournament?" Tyson asked.

"Not every strong blader competes in a tournament. Take the Mystics for example." Jade said.

"Jade, you better get on with their training. I don't want to listen to talk all day. That's not what we're here for."

"But they should know a few things. Fine."

"Relax, we have a good while before our next tournament. There's no need to rush." Kenny pointed out.

"But with weaklings like you, we need you get you guys to speed." Krypton said.

"It wasn't that long ago since we were in Russia." Tyson said.

"They were weak themselves." Krypton smiled to himself.

"You should know that they're not weak since you watched us."

"The only reason why you had trouble was because you didn't use your resources." He looked right at Kai though Kai didn't move or show what he was thinking.

"We didn't know that he was once apart of them." Kenny said in Kai's defense.

"You didn't know when you walked in there but you knew before your match with them. Though I do have to admit, having him fight first was a little smart but you have to remember that everyone is different."

"What do you mean?"

"Look at you, your whole team is different from one another. You don't really know the team if you fight one person. That's why Rei got hurt."

Everyone looked down. They knew that's not really the reason that Rei got hurt. He was trying to help get a win for the team. How could they ever understand what they went through? To witness your friend being killed and you couldn't do anything about it.

"We tried to get him out of it." Max said in their defense.

"Obviously it didn't work. That's why you're losers."

"That's it!" Tyson was now angry but Krypton didn't seem to care, "I challenge you to a Beybattle."

Krypton just smiled, "Fine and we'll show you the real power of a team."

"Would anyone else like to join? It wouldn't be fair for Tyson to get the total assault." Jade said in a way that made one think she was the same as her brother.

Kai got up and walked over to the dish with Dranzer in hand. Everyone else went over as well and Kenny got his computer ready to record this.

"Three… Two… One… Let it RIP!" Max called and the battle began.

Dragoon and Dranzer landed in the dish and started to encircle the dish for their prey. Jade and Krypton's blades were at an amazing speed though they were an easy target since one was right behind the other. Kai wondered why their blades had the same color patterns but didn't let that distract him from the game. Dragoon and Dranzer came in for the attack but they somehow missed them. They try it again and again but nothing was working.

"Dizzy, do you know what's up?" Kenny asked as Max watched over his shoulder.

"It seems like they're formation is helping with gaining the extra speed needed to dodge their blades." Right then the blade that was following behind moved ahead and attack both Dragoon and Dranzer, sending both out of the ring. The blade that attacked went back to Jade and the other to Krypton.

"That's how a team is supposed to be." Jade said.

"Use Dizzy to figure what we did for the day. We'll see you afternoon." They both were walking away.

"Why?" Kai wanted to know.

"We have something more important to take care of." Krypton didn't stop nor did Jade.

When they were out of sight, they decided to go to Tyson's house to analyze what happened. Kai was leaning on a support pole as Kenny typed away on his laptop. Tyson was looking over his blade for no real reason as Max waited patiently.

"I think I got it!" Kenny announced.

Max and Tyson rushed over to see but Kai stayed where he was.

"It appears that their formation helps with the increase in speed." Kenny said.

"How?" Tyson was eager to know.

"Look, one blade acts as a wind breaker for the other. So when they need to get away from an attack, all they need to do is move the back one so that one acts as the wind breaker." Dizzy said.

"Wow! That's pretty smart of them to come up with that strategy." Max said.

"But that only works if they're together and how many chances do they have for that? There has to be another reason on why Mr. Dickenson calls them powerful." Tyson said.

"Kenny, can you freeze an image of their blades?" Kai said as he got up and moved closer.

"Uh, sure Kai." Kenny typed away as Kai got in a good position to see the screen.

"Why Kai?" Max asked.

"I want to see something about their blades."

Kenny got the image up. Everyone was surprised to see how different theirs were.

"You think that's a new model?" Kenny asked.

"No, those were the very old models from when they were just starting making the game. I thought that they only had those among collectors or something." Max said.

"They're using old and outdated models? Why?" Tyson asked more to himself than to anyone.

"Max, do you know their usage? They seem to have two different kinds." Kai asked.

"One of them is an attacking blade and the other is a defensive."

"I see the attack but not the defense. That wouldn't even protect the blade." Kenny said since for the defense, there were only bars under the blades.

"I'll have to ask my dad about that."

"But it's strange that no one has been able to beat them. Especially since they have old models." Tyson commented to himself.

"Max, lets head to your house. We have until noon to meet back up with them." Kenny said.

"Good point."

They head out for Max's house. It hit Kai that this will the first time he has been here. He knew that he would much rather be by himself to think up a way to defeat him so he could get Dark Dranzer back but he needed to know more about the blade he's using to do so.

" Dad, we need your help. " Max announced as they entered.

"+Ah, what can I help you with+"

Kenny opened his laptop on his counter and showed him the frozen image of Jade and Krypton's blades.

"Wow, one of the first models! Where did you see them?"

"Tyson and Kai fought them and lost." Max explained.

"What? Really? I didn't think they still made those. Especially with all the new blades out there."

"That's what we can't figure out. We thought that you might give us an insight." Kenny said.

"I don't know what to tell you. I haven't seen those models since Beyblade first started. But even then, there was a quick change and everyone wanted the latest. I used to have one but then a collector for old Beyblades came and offered a lot of money just to have it."

"Why did you give it up?" Max asked.

"I didn't think it was important since it was an old model. Whoever owns these blades are every lucky. They look in great shape and not a scratch on it."

"How could the defensive one defend? Those bars don't seem to be able to do so." Kenny asked.

"That was one of the improvements they made to the blades. Try to just challenge that Blader so you can to see how it works. I never knew myself."

"Ok, thanks dad."

They walked out and that didn't help much other than that someone around Max's dad age had to given it to them. Kai needed to know more and time was running out.

"Ok, that means we need to challenge them again to see how that defense ring works." Kenny said as they were walking back to the park.

"They'll just use their strategy again and we won't get any answers." Tyson said.

"Hey, they can only dodge if you're attacking from the sides. Attack from the front and that should work." Max said.

"Great thinking Max."

Kai knew that that wouldn't work, though he would try it if need be. Then he realized that it would be hard to attack since he did notice that both switched the wind blocker every time they did that maneuver. He was beginning to wonder if there was a way to defeat them.

They got to the park before noon hit. Tyson was laying on the slide and looking up at the sky. Kenny was back typing on his laptop and Max was sitting on the swing. Kai was sitting on the hill that led into the park. He was looking at his blade, still wondering how to defeat them. Though Jade wasn't the one that he really wanted to get, he figured that they only battled together. It was a bit past noon before they showed and Krypton was carrying something with him.

"What took you so long?" Tyson asked in a pissed off way. He's not too big on waiting.

"Chill, we're here and that's all you need to know." Krypton answered.

"What do you have?" Max asked, thinking that it would be use for their training.

"You'll see when you train."

"Letting you know that we're not training here." Jade said with a smile.

"Then why have us met here?" Kenny asked.

"It's better to have one meeting spot and walk there. Follow us." They walked up the hill that Kai was sitting on. He noticed that Krypton was smiling evilly at him.

Kai tried to hide his anger since his teammates didn't know that he kept Dark Dranzer. He got up only after everyone else got to the top. He didn't follow to close but he did keep up. If Krypton was using the case in its original usage then there would be a guitar in it but they weren't sure and that was getting them a bit nervous. Kai noticed that Krypton whispered something to Jade and she replied back. He now was wishing that he was closer to have heard what was said.

They reached the location to see that there were people that you don't want to meet in a dark alley. They were definitely apart of a gang that they've heard about before they left. Kai remembered that the fortuneteller told him that his gang was broken up by another. He knew that Krypton took Dark Dranzer and mentioned that he broke up his gang. So he figured that they were apart of that same gang. He looked at Jade but she didn't seem to fit the profile. But he has discovered to never go by looks.

"Thanks for setting it up for us guys." Jade said in a kind way.

"Not a problem." One answered but they all were looking in their direction.

"Don't worry about them, they're harmless." Krypton said.

Kai knew that that had a hidden meaning since they never really took their eyes off them as they left. The others were getting a bit nervous, especially Kenny but Kai realized that they were watching him. That means they might think that he would try something, which also means that Krypton was apart of that gang and took Dark Dranzer.

"They're great guys once you know them." Jade said as she took off her sunglasses. She revealed a beautiful face with lovely silver eyes. Kai also noticed that they were hard, which means that she had some hard times in her life. Krypton took off his to reveal that he was a fighter and not afraid to show it. His eyes are blue and dark violet, switching with the light.

"But they look nasty." Max said.

"If I said they were harmless, then I would be lying. Just don't worry about them." Krypton went over to the rock that was there. He opened the case to reveal that there was a guitar inside. He pulled on a cord and started to tune it.

"Krypton loves rock music." Jade explained. "Now let's get training. I understand the loyalty you have to your blades but you could keep your Bit Beast with you." She showed them a box that was there. Kenny first went over and opened it, "Wow! There are so many parts in here. Where did you get them all?" Kenny looked at Jade.

"We got them for you. Since we knew from the beginning that we were going to train you, we got ready. They're parts from all over the world. Well, at least from the places that you've been to."

Tyson and Max walked over and were amazed with all the parts that were there.

"My dad would love this." Max said, picking up a defense ring.

"Do you have any old parts in here?" Kenny asked.

"Old parts?" She looked confused.

"Yea, like the one that you two use."

She smiled to herself about something, "At least you're preparing yourselves but that should be the only time that you'll go against us. No, there are no old parts in there. All of them are out of date and are hard to find."

"Not if you know where to look." Krypton said, still tuning his guitar.

"Krypton." Jade wasn't too happy with his answer but he didn't seem to mind. "Don't listen to him."

"How did you get yours?" Tyson asked.

"You don't really need to know. Anyway, pick parts and put them together. I left out the center piece since I'm hoping you would place your Bit Beast there."

They started to pick parts while Kenny was dissembling theirs.

"No, you make new blades, not replace the old parts with the new."

"Huh? Why not?" Kenny asked.

"These parts aren't going to be with you for the tournament. If you replace your parts then how will you get stronger?"

"Then why do you want us to place our Bit piece with the new ones?" Max asked.

"There aren't that many Bit Beasts out in the world you know. I understand that your Bit Beast help give your blade a power boost but your blades need to take a beating to get stronger too."

"You want them to fight against their own blades?" Kenny said with shock.

"Right."

"Who will launch ours then?" Tyson asked.

"Either me or Kenny."

"Why not Krypton?"

"He's not really your trainer. It's mostly going to be me."

"Then why is he here?"

"I need to watch out for my sister."

Kenny put back the parts as they got other parts to make new blades.

"Kai, are you going to join them?" Jade asked.

"It's a waste of time."

"Afraid that your blade will lose?" Krypton asked, he played a few cords and it made a sound like an electric guitar.

"Don't worry Kai, we have a plan." Tyson said.

"Someone, make something for Kai. He's still apart of the training, even if he doesn't want to." Krypton said.

"And who's going to make me?"

"C'mon Kai, please. Don't make us force you." Jade said with a pleasing voice.

"Jade, you shouldn't have to beg to him."

"I'm not going to force them. It's their choice whether to have this training or not."

Kai reached into his pocket and pulled out Dranzer. He took out Dranzer and tossed Jade the blade. She caught it as he waited for his teammates to finish up. She smiled to herself, "You can make more than one. I hope you're making them interesting. When you're done, hand them and your blades to me."

"Why?" Tyson asked.

"You'll see."

"Jade, could you come over here for a moment." Krypton called her.

She walked over to him and they talked about something. She took the guitar and started playing something. As she was playing he was listening very closely to something. She stopped and said something to him. He nodded and got up. He pulled out sheets of folded paper and a pencil. He started to write something down and she handed it back to him. Then she walked back to her spot, "Are you guys done?"

"Almost." Kenny said, though they were watching on what was going on.

They handed them over when they were done. She looked over the blades that they made carefully. "Kenny, are you going to join with them or do you mind launching their blades?" She didn't look up at him.

"I'll help you."

She handed him Dragoon's old carrier. "You'll go first. Tyson, you get this one." She tossed him one that Max made. It was greatly a defensive blade with little attack strength, which is something that Tyson loves. It also wasn't very fast once launched but they made sure that Max's blade could defeat it.

"Why are you giving me this one? Shouldn't I get the attack power Beyblade?"

"Specializing isn't a good thing. Plus now you get to see how your blade does against a defensive blade."

"Wait, their blades won't have a center piece." Kenny said.

"Oh, right." She reaching into her right, leg pocket and pulled out her blade. She looked at them, noticing that they all, including Kai, were trying to look at it without too much expression. She took out her centerpiece and placed back her blade. Everyone was a bit upset since they couldn't see her blade. She walked over to Kenny and placed her centerpiece on Tyson's blade. "I guess we do need a Bit Beast in the blade since Dragoon is originally in here."

Everyone was shocked to hear what she just said.

"You have a Bit Beast?" Tyson asked in disbelief and shock.

"We both do."

"I can't use this blade then. I don't think your Bit Beast would listen to me." Kenny said, handing back the blade.

"Don't worry about it. All you have to do is launch the blade. I'll do the rest."

"How?" Tyson asked.

"You'll see, but don't keep your eyes on me since I'm on the sidelines."

Kenny got to one side of the dish as Tyson went to the other. Krypton then started to play something on the guitar. It was punk rock sounding but it was perfect for the setting. Jade raised her right arm in the air. It didn't seem that her purple wing thing was limiting her move since her arm was straight up; the wing just seemed to follow it, "Three… Two… One… Let it RIP!" She brought down her arm in a diagonal. Kenny and Tyson pulled back the ripcords and their Beyblades went flying into the dish.

They circled the dish with Tyson's old blade nearer to the top than the one that he was using. His blade was coming in fast and the defensive blade that he was using had already settled at the center of the dish.

"Go Dragoon!" He called when his old blade came close. The defensive blade moved to the side just enough to avoid the attack. The defensive blade was swinging to avoid the attack. Kai looked up at Jade to see that she was watching the match carefully. Max seemed that he wanted to tell Tyson something but wasn't. Kai guessed that since he thought they had to figure how to battle without anyone else help.

"Let's go Dragoon!" Tyson was really trying to encourage himself since he didn't think that the blade he was using wouldn't stand a chance against his blade and he was worrying that the defensive blade might be too strong to be stop by an attack.

Kenny wasn't worry since he wasn't using the blade himself. He looked at Jade but didn't see how she was controlling the blade since she wasn't calling out to it or anything. Her eyes were fixed to the dish. He heard metal hitting and looked in the dish to see that the blades were making contact. Tyson's original blade was pushing on the one that he was using.

Once the blades were at midpoint, the weight of the defensive blade made both topple back to the center. They picked up the blades.

"Now what?" Kenny asked.

Krypton stopped playing, "Jade, come here."

Jade walked back over and he whispered something to her. She didn't look pleas but she nodded her head just the same. She walked back and took Dragoon's old carrier to take back her centerpiece. She looked at Max, "You're next."

He nodded and took his place where Tyson was. Tyson already took out his centerpiece from the blade so he wouldn't forget. Jade tossed Max a blade that was a combination like Kai's blade but it had a more interesting look. The blades for the attack ring were more out and looked sharper. She placed Max's blade in Kenny's hands and went back to her position. She raised her arm again as they got ready, "Three… Two… One… Let it Rip!" She did the same movement again and they launched their blades.

Max figured that since he has watched the others battle offensively that he knows how to attack. "Go Draciel!" Draciel went straight for blade. Max's old blade held its ground though it was being pushed back. Max's old blade managed to move to the side and escape Draciel. Draciel went after it again but it held its ground again.

When Max's old blade escape again, Kenny noticed that the blade that Draciel was in was losing speed. He figured that it had something to do with how Max's old blade was holding ground then escaping. This time when Draciel charged, Max's old blade ran up to meet him. That clash knocked Draciel off balance and he landed sideways. Max picked up the blade and took Draciel off. Jade took off her centerpiece from Draciel's old carrier. She placed it on Kai's blade and tossed him one that was built like Rei's. It almost looked like his too, minus the color.

"Kai, you're going against me."

Kenny was glad, since now he could get information on how Jade battles. Kai walked over to where Max and Tyson stood. Against normal opponents, they would be cheering him on right now but since it's against his own blade, he figured that they didn't know what to say. He looked at Jade to see that she was sad about something.

"Three… Two… One… Let it Rip!" Max said to get the battle started.

They launched the blades into the dish and both circled it once before hitting. The balance blade jumped back from the hit as the combination blade moved back. The blades hit each other again and they followed each other as they lapped around the dish.

Kenny was looking at Jade but there wasn't any change in her position. He looked on his laptop to see whether there was anything unusual about how Kai's old blade was moving. He was shocked to see that it was almost the same movements that Kai would use. Kenny looked at Kai to see that he didn't try to fit a style that would work with the blade.

Tyson was just amazed to see their team leader battling someone so hard. It was an amazing sight that only if you were an owner of a Bit Beast would know how fantastic this match really was. Though he did have to admit, it was odd seeing a white centerpiece on Dranzer and a blue centerpiece on an almost solid gray blade.

Max was just as amazed as Tyson at this battle. It wasn't an everyday that they got to see their leader in action. Normally in tournaments, it would be the combination of Tyson, Rei, and himself that would go against an opponent. Kai only did so when there weren't a lot of other choices left. He noticed that the tune of Krypton's playing had changed. He looked over to him and heard it fully that it was the sound of doom. He looked at the stadium to see that the combination blade was gaining some ground over the balance. Max could see it clearly on Kai's face that he knew what was going on but didn't figure a way to solve it.

Kai looked up at Jade to see whether he could find something that would give him clue on what to do next. He noticed that she looked sad for some reason. He looked down quickly so he wouldn't get distracted. Then he noticed an opening in the attack pattern and went for it, "Go Dranzer!" Dranzer went straight for that opening and came so close to knocking it over. The combination blade regained its balance and encircled the dish once more. Kai went after it again but this time the combination blade got in his opening and knocked his blade. Luckily for him, the blade caught itself and was following close behind. Then both centerpieces started to glow and shooting small bands of light. From the balance blade came red and from the combination white, everyone was waiting for Jade to show her Bit Beast.

"Jade, stop the match." Krypton ordered and Jade obeyed. Kai's old blade came to her and the balance to him. He then felt something different about Dranzer but didn't know what.

"Why did you call it off?" Max asked, looking at him. Jade and Kai were taking off their centerpiece so they could return to their rightful spot.

"You don't need to see her Bit Beast."

"Anyway, you guys really need some team activities. You didn't even bother to ask for help when you needed it. That's how you won all your other battles." Jade said, tossing the blade back to Kai. Kai set the one he was using on the ground.

"What are you talking about?" Tyson asked.

"You could've asked Max about defensive blading since he's like the expert in it. Though that's only because he's the only one that you know that does so. Max, how did you figure out to battle that way?"

"I remember how everyone else fought so it was easier for me."

"Kai, as you see, your style does have some openings. Just keep those in mind when you battle."

"How were you able to mimic Kai's attack pattern?" Kenny asked.

"Studying. I'm pretty good at that. Ok, you guys have until six to look over whatever you want. Meet us at the park so you guys can get some fun." Jade said.

Krypton packed up and was ready to go. Jade waved bye to them and they went off. The others didn't know what to do. They left all these parts here and a lot of them were good too. Kenny would take some but wasn't sure if it was ok. Kai was the first to walk out and the others followed.

They happened to end up at the first spot where Kai and Tyson met. Kai remembered how he watched his gang member lose to a nobody. He tossed him aside like one throws a towel or a cape on the floor. That's when Tyson got mad and challenged him.

Tyson also remembered that this is where they helped out a kid since his blade was destroyed. Tyson liked to help out the little kids since most looked up to him for his blading skills and now winning the World Championship. Not too long ago, he was fighting against Tala to make sure that the world would be safe.

Max remembered that this was the first place he met Tyson and Kenny. He was just the new kid in town and didn't know anyone. He saved that puppy and Tyson was impressed with the skill that he used. Then they went over to his dad's shop and discovered about the local championship where they finally met Rei and became the BladeBreakers, a name that Tyson thought up. Max realized that Rei has never been here before. Max hoped that when he gets back that they could bring him to this site.

Kenny was looking up something on his laptop and Tyson finally noticed, "Chief, what are you doing?"

"I'm trying to figure out how Jade was able to control the blades so well. I mean, after all, all she has is an old model that's way out of date."

"I'm a bit curious on why Krypton called the match over in the middle of the game." Tyson stated.

"Any thoughts Kai?" Kenny asked though all he got was silence. Kenny decided to leave him alone to think.

The only thing that was on Kai's mind right now was what Jade's Bit Beast looked like. He was watching carefully in the first two matches and she wasn't using their strength with their blades. He figured that it was properly due to what Krypton said to her. Though Kai is an only child, he was wondering why she was listening to him. That didn't make much sense to him though he didn't know why he cared.

"Maybe he didn't want us to see the Bit Beast?" Max suggested since both blades were glowing as soon as he called it off.

"Maybe." Kenny pondered, "Dizzy, do you have any data on them?"

"Who? The Bit Beast or the Bladers?"

"Both if possible."

"………… Nope, both are pretty mysterious."

"How could they be powerful then?" Tyson asked, everyone knew that you only have the right to claim that would be by battling a lot of people.

"There has to be something on them. I mean, Mr. Dickenson knew about them before he created the BladeBreakers." Max said.

"He could've just met them somewhere before." Kenny suggested.

"But they would've shown their skills to him." Tyson said.

"Why don't you just call him to find out?" Dizzy suggested.

"That's a great idea Dizzy." Kenny closed his laptop and got up.

"I'm coming too." Tyson also got up and the same with Max.

"Kai, are you coming?" Kenny asked but Kai was looking at the sky so they left without him.

When he knew they were gone, he took out Dranzer. He knew that he didn't lost but he didn't win either. Kai knew that her skills were good. How else could one explain her ability to use his style and adapt hers to any blade when all she has is an old model to use? He figured that she has never traded her blade nor put her centerpiece on any other blade. He also figured that she would've used the others attack patterns on them to show them their opening. Since Kenny was the one that launched the blades, she didn't. Kai knew that walking would help him think a lot better but he really did want to know the reason Mr. Dickenson knew them. He just then remembered what Krypton said earlier to them about him being two or three steps ahead of them. Kai knew that to be true since he knew that he was in the abbey when he didn't remember. He wondered how he knew that but he didn't wonder too much on it. All he has to do now is wait for his teammates to come back from talking to him.

Tyson and the others came up to a payphone. Tyson put in the change and pushed the right buttons to get a hold of Mr. Dickenson. His secretary told them that he's off on an important meeting. Tyson thanked the lady and hanged up. He turned to his teammates and friends, "No luck. He's not in."

"There has to be something on them." Kenny pondered over how they could escape detection.

"I don't think we can ask other Bladers. I don't think they would release their names to anyone." Max pointed out.

"Man, they're almost reminding me of Kai when I first met him." Tyson said in frustration.

"Speaking of which, we better head back to tell him that we couldn't get a hold of Mr. Dickenson."

They all head back, still in wonder of how they became 'powerful'. Kai heard footsteps coming back and figured it was his teammates coming back. Though he thought they would be running back with the news instead of walking. It didn't make him move from his spot.

"We couldn't get a hold of Mr. Dickenson." Tyson said as he sat down with the frustration displayed on his body.

Kenny went back on typing, to try to find something on them. Max just rested since they weren't going to meet up with them until six. Kai would've gotten up and left but he didn't have a watch on him. He didn't want to stay since he wanted to think clearly over how to see her Bit Beast. He was also wondering how to get Dark Dranzer back as well.

Kai opened his eyes to a shaking of his arm. He looked over to see the happy blonde looking down, "It's time to go."

Kai got up to see Tyson holding his laughter at something. He noticed that Kenny didn't find anything else about them.

"I guess even the 'great' Kai needs a nap." Tyson joked.

He shot his death glare at him but Tyson didn't notice since he was holding his laughter as he walked away. The other two followed him as he did. Kai put his hands in his pockets before following them.

Jade was the only one there to greet them when they entered the park.

"Jade, could we please see your Bit Beast?" Tyson asked.

"Why? Krypton said that you don't need to see it. Though I, too, think that you don't need to see her yet."

"What do you mean?"

"You'll see my Bit Beast one day, just not now. Anyway, don't you want to have some fun?"

"Huh?"

She smiled and started to walk away, "Follow me if you want."

They walked after her since they thought that this was apart of their training. Everyone could see that she was happy about whatever she had planned. Tyson, Kenny, and Kai started to notice that they're walking to a place that is known for their nightclubs.

"Why are we coming here?" Kenny asked, getting really nervous since there are a few reports about this place.

"For fun."

Max realized that he didn't know anything about this area. Since he was the new kid when the BladeBreakers were formed, he never had the chance to really look around and get to know the place. He figured that this area must be well known since he could tell that the locals recognized it. He, also, concluded that it wasn't a good place since Kenny is getting worried.

"What do you mean by 'fun'?" Tyson almost demanded.

"Don't worry. It's nothing bad, trust me."

"We barely know you."

"Can't that be said to your team as well?"

"I trust my teammates!"

"Good. We're here." Jade ran a bit to an old looking building that looked to be one level but the locals knew that there's most likely another level. Jade opened to door and the booming music and color lights were seen and heard. She motioned with her hand for them to come forth.

Max was the first one since he was curious on what was inside. Tyson and Kenny thought that Max knew what he was doing, though they forgot that Max was still the new kid in the neighborhood. Kai followed since he didn't want to leave his teammates in a place like this.

As soon as Kai walked through the door, Jade closed the door. She led them carefully through the crowd to a table where Krypton was sitting. Jade motioned them to sit down so they do.

"Why are we here?" Tyson yelled to Krypton, hoping his voice was over the music.

"To have fun. Jade hoped that you guys don't have stone feet."

Tyson blinked a few times before looking onto the dance floor. Jade was dancing to the beats like she wrote the song. Though compare to the others around her, she was more graceful in her movements.

Max almost wanted to go up and dance as well. After all, he did live in America and they knew how to throw a party. Though Max wasn't a great dancer, he was confident in his moves. He held his spot since he didn't know what to do in this environment.

Kenny was captivated by Jade's moves that someone had to shake him out of his glaze.

Kai was transfixed on Jade but quickly regained his focus and looked at Krypton. He seemed pleas with something but he couldn't figure out what.

After that song seemed to be over, Jade walked over to the table and sat down. The music was a bit softer than the last one so it was easier for them to talk.

"What are we here for?" Tyson asked, looking at Jade who still shone with energy.

"To dance if you want. I think Mr. Dickenson is being too hard on you guys. After all, you did just come back from the World Tournament. You deserve some down time before you start you training again."

"Though Jade studies to death, she loves to party whenever she can." Krypton said with his eyes closed.

"Maybe you should start that habit." Jade had a smile on her face.

"And have an early death? Oh, don't worry about the other people in this place. As long as you stay close to this table, you'll be ok."

"Are you sure?" Kenny asked, since Jade was sitting and not dancing, Kenny regained his focus.

"Positive. I have a reputation here and they won't mess with ya if ya stay near here."

The song changed to a hard rock sounding and Jade got excite. She looked at the BladeBreakers, "Anyone want to come?" She yelled over the music.

Max got up; glad to know that his teammates won't be worried if he went to the floor. Everyone, including Kai, was surprised to see Max dancing like he almost own the floor. Jade laughed at this, though it wasn't mocking more like having a good time. She definitely enjoyed the company, which was making Tyson and Kenny bold. Something got the corner of Kai's eye. He looked to see Krypton getting up and leaving. Someone was following him to wherever he was going. Kai started to wonder whether this was their hideout or a hangout. He looked around to see what other action was going on that might give him a clue. Unfortunately in doing so, he saw things he wished he hadn't.

Max and Jade danced through a couple of more songs before they sat back down for some rest.

"I haven't been dancing since I left America. That was sure fun." Max said, luckily for the others the music was low enough for them to hear without all the yelling.

"You're a natural on your feet."

"Thanks."

A few songs went by before Jade was up to dancing again. This time Tyson accompanied her. Though his moves weren't as good as Max's, they were pretty good considering that he most likely never really thought about dancing before. Max was cheering on his friend, knowing that's the best way for one to be confident.

Unfortunately for Tyson, he couldn't last as long and Jade still had energy to burn. Kenny went up and Max did the same cheering. Kenny's face was red the whole time and as soon as the song was over, he went back to his seat. Jade followed, though still wanting to dance.

"Ahh!" Kenny yelled as he opened his laptop.

"What is it?" Tyson asked over the music.

"It's almost eight!"

"Oh, sorry Jade, we got to go. It's getting late."

"That's ok. It was fun. See ya later at the park."

"What time?" Max asked.

"Around one. It is still summer." She smiled.

They got up and headed out. Jade made sure they made it out all right before she noticed that Kai was still leaning on the pole when he walked in.

"Don't you need to get going too?" She looked at him with curious eyes.

"I can wait."

"Or is it that you don't like a crowd?" She smiled at him.

"I'm not going up."

The tempo changed to something a bit slow though not too slow. Jade's eyes had a questionable idea that formed in her head. Kai was getting a bit worried though he didn't show it. She got up and grabbed his hand, dragging him to the floor before he could resist.

She was dancing a lot closer to him than she had with the others. Kai figured it had something to do with the song itself. Unfortunately for him, he was captivated by her movements that his own body began to follow. He understood why Kenny was blushing so much, since he had just about no experience in dancing. From day one, he was trained to be a warrior and dancing isn't something that a warrior does. He was lucky that he was watching Max and Tyson a bit to know what to do.

He began to feel heat in his cheeks, meaning that he might be showing blush. He concentrated on the fact that he was warrior to keep it from showing more. He felt heat close to his chest. He opened his eyes to see Jade close to his face with a reassuring smile, "Don't worry. No one can see you. You could use a break, don't you think?"

Kai looked at her face as she looked at his. They weren't really dancing but they weren't standing still either. She looked down then back up, "Just follow the beats. That's the best way to gain confidence." She sounded nervous but her body didn't say that. Kai took her advice though and he found it easier to keep pace with Jade.

Kai didn't keep track of how many songs went by nor did he found himself caring. Jade was having fun again, which Kai found gave him more courage to stay. Normally he would ponder on why but for some reason, he seemed more focus on dancing and watching Jade. Then Jade stopped and looked to the front of the place. Kai noticed that this song had words to it. He looked at Jade and she smiled, turning to Kai, "This is Krypton and mine favorite group."

"What's their name?"

"They're called the Teenage Wolves. I know that they're old now but our parents had records of them."

"I wouldn't know."

"Know what?"

"If they were old or not."

She smiled sadly, "Let's dance before the song is over." She started before Kai even answered. Kai followed the words of the song since it was mix with the beats.

After the song was over, Jade motioned to the door. Lots of people were leaving the place so Kai figured that it was even later than what Kenny and the others feared.

The air outside seemed a bit colder though Kai thought it was due to the fact of the dancing he did. The moon glowed in the sky, as did the stars that were seen in the patches between the clouds.

"Where do you have to go?"

Kai looked at her, "What about you?"

"I'm in no hurry."

"Same here."

"Don't you need to get home?"

"Aren't you in the same position?"

She smiled to see her own tactic used on her, "Alright wise guy, we'll walk. Wherever we end up the nearest to, that one will leave first. Deal?" She extended her hand to Kai.

Kai hesitated for a moment before he gave his hand to her. "Deal."

They shook once on it then started walking in some direction. Kai noticed that he didn't want to let her hand go. He wasn't getting why he was acting this way since this isn't normal.

"I'm sorry for the way my brother has been treating you and your team." Jade said out of the blue. "You know, when we first met. I know he really doesn't mean to sound bad and he really is a nice guy. It's real easy to gain his trust, though it's just as easy to lose it too. Just have a little patience for him, ok?" She looked at Kai when she realized that he was looking at her the whole time she has spoke. She looked down then in front, but Kai thought that he saw her blushing.

"Why are you only telling me this?" Kai didn't mean to sound cold but his voice was programmed too. For some reason, he was hoping that she knew that he didn't mean to sound like that.

"He just seems to be after you. Though, if you don't fight back, he'll stop." Her voice seemed to say that she understood his meaning in the words and not in the tone.

"Why would he be after me?"

"I'm not sure. It might've been how you acted at the World Tournament. He seemed upset about something when we were watching."

"Did Mr. Dickenson allow you guys to travel along side of us?"

"No."

"Then you watched from a TV?"

"A little. I can't really tell you how we were able to watch you guys, even when Mr. Dickenson set you off course." She covered her mouth like she wasn't supposed to say that. "I know it's difficult but don't tell your teammates what I just said. They'll know but they're not supposed to know soon." She looked at him again and she knew that his eyes were never off her. She couldn't look away this time since she needed his word that he wouldn't tell them.

Though that was really easy for him since he didn't tell them about Dark Dranzer and obviously Krypton knew that. That's why he thinks he has control over him or can mock him without Kai fighting back. Obviously, he didn't tell his sister that he now has Dark Dranzer. He was a bit curious to know whether she knew that he had it. "I won't tell the others."

She smiled, making her blush go away a bit. "Thanks. Krypton would've been mad if he knew that I told someone."

"You didn't really tell me anything."

"You're smart… You could figure out how we were able to watch without being there… I was there to see your team form though."

A smile appeared on Kai's face before he had a chance to stop it. Jade smiled back, knowing that he didn't smile that often.

After a while of walking in silence, Jade stopped. Kai stopped and looked at her. She was looking at a block that was old looking. She turned to face him, "This is my stop."

"You live there?" He didn't make it sound like he was disgusted nor surprised.

"I live beyond that. It's a shortcut."

Kai didn't really like the look or feel of the place. Though he hoped that since Jade most likely goes through there many times that it was a safe enough path. "Then this is where we depart."

Jade smiled reassurance to him, "It's safe to travel through there. No one goes there. It might not look inviting but it's ok."

It was obvious that both were just buying time for something. Jade wasn't moving down her path and Kai was just standing there.

"How did you meet Mr. Dickenson?" Kai didn't really care for an answer, but he did want to get rid of the silence.

"Oh, I was battling a Blader when he saw the battle. That was a long time ago."

"He didn't try to get you into a team?"

"He was but we wouldn't. We like working alone. We're a team on our own, plus Krypton isn't a people person."

"So now he has you two training other people?"

"He doesn't have us in anything."

"You like the BladeBreakers that much?"

"We knew you guys before you became the BladeBreakers. Though I do have to say, Mr. Dickenson only predicted that you, Rei and Max would be on the team. He only met Tyson and Kenny when he went to Max's house."

"So it was originally a three member team." Kai chuckled at the thought since the other major teams had four members.

"It still would've been a four member team. It was only by luck that Tyson was in the tournament and got to one of the four slots. It's was a bit surprising that Kenny was on the team, though that was probably due to Tyson."

"I guess that Mr. Dickenson really does think two or three steps ahead."

"But you don't have to worry about that. Just have fun."

"That's a concept that I need to get used to."

"Look, even though Mr. Dickenson really wants to beat that other team, don't worry about it. I'm not training you guys to beat anyone. Just to learn where you're faults are and to improve on those."

"Do you have any information on this team?"

"All I know is that they're known as the Yami Hunters. I think their owner thought up the name since no one on the team is Japanese."

"Do you know anything about the local team?"

"They're a four member team with all guys. If you're really interested in knowing more, ask Kenny to look them up. He might be able to find something on them."

"Is it because you don't want to tell me or is it that you can't?"

"I could but I only know as much as Mr. Dickenson has told me. I think he wants me to train you in how to beat them."

"What do you think he would do since you're not?"

"He won't do anything. We're the only ones that can train you guys properly without getting all wow since you're famous." Jade smiled with confidence.

"I know that Mr. Dickenson was worried that we weren't going to win, what about you two?"

"I'm wondering if we were the only ones that knew you'll do alright. We were told that even the Majestics were planning on fighting them if you guys lost."

"So why are you willing to train us?"

"For someone who hates people, you sure ask a lot of questions." Her smile made Kai blush a bit, but not too badly. She walked up closer to him, "We're training you so you guys have an excuse to get together. I bet that once the tournament was over, you guys would've drifted away from each other. Understandable since you all are individuals but you would've been to yourself; Rei would be in China; Tyson, Kenny, and Max would be the only ones that would show that you're still a team."

Jade was as close to him as she was when she was giving him advice on dancing. He was using all his might just to stop the blushing from coming up, "You want us to be a team even though the World Tournament is over?"

"I want you to call them friends before calling them teammates. Tyson, Max, and I think even Rei have it down. I want Rei to be with you guys to know you more. I want Kenny to know that there's still more information out there. I want to give Max a reason to stay so his father doesn't think about going back to America. I want Tyson to know that you guys are still a team."

"A lot of 'wants'."

"Reaching for the moon. If it doesn't work out as plan, at least it would be in the stars."

"So you don't want anything for yourself or your brother?"

"That's a secret. I do want something for us but you don't need to know just yet."

"Time make things change."

"I know, but waiting isn't a bad thing. It helps make things clearer."

"Waiting too long isn't a good idea."

"I won't keep you waiting too long."

Kai nodded his head. Their faces were so that you thought that they could feel each other's words. Kai found his body to go against his thoughts. He leaned forward with his eyes closed, placing his right hand on the back of her head and placed his lips on hers. Jade's body was electrified by this action but she soon reacted by giving it back as she closed her eyes.

After a few moments, they both pulled away. Jade stared at him as he her but he hadn't removed his hand.

"I.. have to get.. going." She walked backwards until his hand was lightly touching her cheek. She turned her head and walked away but she began to trot to get to the buildings faster.

Kai watched her, now understanding what he was feeling the whole time. He knew that her dancing and looks attracted everyone else but something else compel him to go beyond that. It could've been the way Krypton acted towards him or his own emotions. She was the first that Kai ever thought of. He had never looked at another girl the same way. As he decided to walk, he knew now what it feels like to be in love. An emotion that he thought he lost.

Wow… romance on the third meeting… I've heard that if you meet someone three times that means you're destined for each other… Though that's if you ran into the person three times and these were all planned… Oh well, how will Krypton react to this? He's sister liking the guy that he enjoys torturing and hating. Their fates have now intertwined.


	2. Chap 2 First Warning

Hello kiddies, it's me again… I hope you're having fun in school… in life… in summer vacation… I've missed those things since I'm not living… But enough of sadness and let's get on with the anger, the love, the **torment**! I'm a nice gal, really… Anyway, onward…

Kai was walking into a music store in the morning. He was looking for the music group "Teenage Wolves" since that's Jade's favorite group. Since she mentioned that it was old, that was the first placed he looked for one of their CDs. I found about three CDs on them so he just picked randomly. He also got a CD Walkman since he didn't have one. Before he went to the cashier, he grabbed some batteries too. He was able to pay for it all, though he did thought on how for a moment before taking out the walkman, putting in the batteries, unwrapping the CD, tossing their containments in the trash, placed the CD in the player and started to listen to it; he managed to do all of that while walking.

Kai found a liking to this music, though he didn't know whether it was because Jade liked it or he liked it himself. He found himself a bench to sit on. He noticed only for a moment that it was in the park that they were meeting at before fully listening to the CD.

He felt a disturbance on his arm so he looked to see Tyson looking down at him. He stopped the CD, which he put on repeat, and took off his headphones. "What?" Kai figured that it was near one or else they wouldn't be there.

"What were you listening to? I didn't know you like music." Tyson seemed happier than usual and Kai was a bit worried that he would do something stupid. He looked at the other two and they were in a happier mood too.

He placed the Walkman in his pocket and stood up, "What time is it?"

"It's almost one." Kenny answered.

"Good, you're all here."

Kai looked down the hill to see Krypton looking at them with angry eyes. Kai acted like he wasn't bothered by them though everyone else was.

"Hi Krypton." Max said in a friendly way.

That just seemed to make him more pissed, "Jade isn't going to be here today. She has something else that she needs to do."

"Really? What?" Tyson asked.

"You don't need to know. So I'm going to be training you. Do you have a problem with that?" Though he just walked on, not caring for their answer.

Tyson shrugged his shoulders and they followed. Kai watched Krypton a bit before getting off the bench. He knew Krypton was mad at them but he didn't know the reason why. They haven't even done anything to him and Kai should be the one mad at him for taking Dark Dranzer.

Krypton led them back to the alley that they first learned that they had a Bit Beast. The blades that they built were still there but there were a few new ones. "Remember what Jade was doing yesterday, we're going to repeat it, though I'm the one that's doing to be blading."

Kai smiled at this opportunity to face Krypton and know his strategy. Kenny was happy since they could at least learn one of their attack patterns. They all took out their Bit piece and gave their blades to Krypton. He looked at them for a moment, "Max."

Max picked a blade that was equal in both attack and defense. He placed his Bit piece on it and attached it to his launcher.

"Three… Two… One… Let it rip!" Tyson announced and the battle was on.

Max wasn't about to lose, knowing what this training was about. He looked at his old blade to see that he was making it move in ways that he never thought his blade could do. Max thought that this training was supposed to teach them their openings. "Go Draciel!" His blade rushed toward his old blade but it was able to dodge it with what seemed like little effort. Max knew that this wasn't good.

"Go Max, take him down!" Tyson cheered. Since they knew that they were really blading against Krypton, it was like any other battle. Kenny was typing away, knowing that he wasn't using Max's attack patterns but was improving on them. He guessed that he wanted to show where they needed improvements or something like that.

Max then saw something that was well hidden, an opening that he could use. Right before it happened again, "Draciel, attack!" His blade's centerpiece glowed a dark purple before launching with great speed. They clashed and both were trying to get the upper hand in this match. Max wasn't letting up.

Kai wasn't watching the blades, but the bladers since he wanted to see if he acted like Jade. He was, which means that they know how to control their Bit Beast without calling to them. Even when he heard the clashing and seeing Max almost struggling to stay, he wasn't losing his cool or focus. That was something that Kai has never seen in a blader before. He's eyes were fixed on the dish as if that was the only thing he sees.

Unfortunately for Max, Krypton was able to push his blade to the edge. They were encircling the rim like they were on the edge of death. Then, somehow, the blade that Max was using lost its balance and landed outside of the ring. Max's old blade went back into the dish before it stopped spinning. Kai was the only one that caught Krypton sighing heavily.

"Tyson." He tossed Max his blade and put his Bit piece on Dragoon's old carrier. Tyson picked up a defensive blade since Max gave him some advice to follow. He placed Dragoon on the center and got ready for the battle.

"Three… Two… One… Let it Rip!" Max called and they let loose. Tyson noticed that he was making Dragoon rip up the dish.

"GO Dragoon!" Dragoon moved toward the blade and Krypton went straight for his. That impact bounced both blades a few centimeters back before landing. They went at it again. Their metals were creating sparks as they hit each other as well as on the dish. They were running laps, trying to get the upper hand.

"Go Tyson!" Max cheered; glad to see that his advice is working well for him. Kenny was able to get some valuable data from this since it would help to know how much pressure Tyson's old blade can take.

Kai was noticing that Krypton was breathing a bit harder than when he began with Max. He wondered if Jade was like that as well. Though she wasn't directly fighting the others, she was controlling the blade. He wondered if battling three fights does something to them a bit. It's obvious that they're strong since they're able to change their styles to fit the blade, not to mention fight three battles without losing. Though his battle ended as a tie, he didn't know what Jade's Bit Beast is able to do. This kinda opened his eyes since he now knew that there are people in this world of blading that don't like to be known but are stronger than them. Adding to chances that they will see them one day since they're World Champions, they would like to test themselves against them.

Tyson and Krypton were putting on a great fight. Krypton seemed to be working Tyson's old blade to the max since he always made it come at him with more and more power. Tyson was still adjusting to the difference in the blades but that wasn't stopping him. Max told him that the weight of the blade could help him so that's what he was using. Then Krypton did something weird. When Tyson attack, he moved back a bit. This was getting Tyson annoyed so he continued his attack to get him. "Let's go, Dragoon!" With that energy, Dragoon launched at Krypton's blade but he moved in front of it, leading it on some path. The blade disappeared and Dragoon went over the edge. Tyson didn't have enough time to stop it. He looked back in the dish to see his old blade spinning in the middle.

Krypton picked it up and removed his Bit piece. Tyson did the same and Krypton tossed his blade back to him. Kai could tell that he was getting tried.

"Kai." Krypton got in the launching position. Kai looked at the blades there and picked up a blade that reminded him of Dark Dranzer's blade. He placed Dranzer inside and got ready to launch. He noticed that Krypton hadn't fully recovered from the other two battles. A mistake that Kai wouldn't mind using.

"Three… Two… One... Let it Rip!" Tyson yelled, knowing that this is going to be a great battle. They pulled back their ripcords, Krypton with a lot more power. The two blades hit each other before landing in the ring. Once in, they were on each other like magnets. Neither one was gaining or losing ground. Unfortunately, both bladers could not and would not except this so both were giving a lot more power. "Go Dranzer!" Kai knew that Krypton was exhausted and wasn't about to let advantage get away from him. Dranzer started to gain some more ground. Kai looked at Krypton for a split second to see that his face hadn't change since the battle begun. He was then wondering if he was winning but wasn't about to let that doubt stop him from winning.

"GO KAI!" Tyson cheered. This was an intense battle, though Tyson didn't understand why it was so intense since it was only practice but that was beside the point. He couldn't tell whether Kai was enjoying it but he knew that he was. It was amazing to see two high-level Bladers blading. Neither one wanting to lose and trying their hardest to make sure that they're number one. At least that's his mind set when he blades.

Kenny was getting information on Kai's style of blading since he hardly battled in the past. The power behind his attacks was amazing, and he was wondering where he learned to get that power but knew that BIOVOLT was probably the cause. After all, Kai was raised there since he was little. Not to mention that he most likely lived with his Grandfather and being the leader of the Street Sharks. Then he was wondering where they were but blew it off since he needed to concentrate on Kai's battle.

Max was really impressed by their leader. It seemed that he was pulling out all the stops for this battle. Everyone could tell that this was a personal battle but they didn't understand why, though they let that pass since it was a great and awesome battle. Max would be surprised if they weren't enjoying themselves since that match had to be fun.

As Kai was able to get his old blade near the edge, the centerpiece started to glow this black color. As if something dark was trying to escape the blade. Then Dranzer started to glow as well, almost like it was responding to this dark beast. Now Kai was struggling to just keep his blade from being pushed back into the dish but Krypton called back the blade, making Dranzer fall back into the dish. Kai looked angry at Krypton but he didn't seem to care, "I told you before, you don't need to see our Bit Beast." He took out his Bit piece and tossed back Kai his blade. Kai took out his piece and placed it back on his own blade. He figured that their Bit Beast didn't want to lose so they trying to come out to beat him. That's the only way he knew how to explain why it was only with him that they were trying to come out.

He looked up and noticed that Krypton was looking at something. He followed his glaze to see Jade walking towards them.

"Jade." Tyson said.

"Hi Tyson, sorry I'm late. I had something to do. I hope that my brother did as he was asked." Her smile wasn't as happy as she was trying to display it.

"I guess, but how would we know what he was asked to do?"

"You do have a good point."

"So what was the thing that you needed to do?" Kenny asked.

"Krypton and I thought that it was too boring to be using a normal dish so I thought that I should go look for one. Unfortunately, all are at some building used for tournaments."

"Why don't you ask Mr. Dickenson for one?" Max asked.

"We can be creative. Some friends of ours are building a real interesting one as we speak, though I'm not sure when it'll be done; we can still practice at other locations. Just meet at the park and we'll lead you to the spots."

"I guess that means that our training for today is over?" Tyson asked.

"With us anyway. You could always improve on your own."

"Ok, what time do you want us to be at the park tomorrow?" Max asked.

"Around one would be great."

"Then we'll see you later then." They all walked passed her.

Tyson stopped and looked back at their leader, "Kai, do you want to hang with us for the rest of the day."

"I need to speak to Kai for a moment. If you want to wait then you may, I don't think that this will take long. Kai, follow me please." Jade sounded really nervous about something. She led him to the roof of one of the abandon building around there. Kai noticed that she looked completely nervous about something, which he found was making him worry about her. He almost forgot that she wanted to talk to him about something.

"Kai, just forget what happen yesterday." Her back was toward him. "I just don't want to hurt you. You've been through enough already without the emotion of love to get in there. Love is the most painful emotion in the world. As your friend… I don't want you to get hurt. Besides… I don't feel the same way about you."

"Then why allow it?"

"It's called the heat of the moment… That's all… Now please, just forget about it."

"I was wondering if you could tell me why both of your Bit Beast tried to fight Dranzer if you didn't want them to?"

"Both?" She turned around with surprise in her eyes.

"Krypton's tried to but he called him back."

"I don't know. Normally they would tell us something like this but they haven't. Were you calling Dranzer in responds? Of course, I'm assuming that Dranzer was glowing as well." Now she looked like the Jade he first met.

"He was coming out on his own. Maybe it was to respond to your Bit Beast though you two might want to take a break between the battles. Krypton didn't seem to be doing so well when he got to me."

"We can handle it."

"I guess you can, since Krypton wasn't trying to show it too much. But maybe if you do that then your Bit Beast won't have the feeling of coming out."

"You might have a point."

He reached into his pocket and grabbed the CD case. He tossed it to Jade and she caught it. Her eyes widen as she look upon the case, "I was wondering if you could tell me if that song that I'd heard is on this CD?"

She looked up at him with shock, "You… have this CD?"

"Just bought it. Well?"

She turned it to the back and looked at it for a moment, "No, it doesn't."

"Just wondering."

Jade looked that she wanted to ask something but she just walked up to him and handed the case back. "They're a good band. If you like them then you should try getting all their CDs."

"Is yesterday the reason Krypton is mad at everyone?"

Jade looked at the ground before stepping back a few steps, "Yea."

"Why?"

"…………… He thinks that you guys will try something. Plus he thinks it's bad for training."

"Then why bring us to that nightclub in the first place?"

"It was just for fun. Nothing serious was supposed to come from it."

"You must not have mirrors in your house."

"Kai, even though it seems hard, you have to forget that feeling toward me. Krypton only wants you around me during training. And I just mean in the same area."

"Do you always listen to your brother?"

"Of course." She was looking at him with hardly any emotions behind them, that or hiding them.

"Guess that means that you're allowing him to control your life?"

"He's my older brother. I have to listen to him. That's what little siblings do."

"I guess that means that I should be glad that I don't have one."

"That's right, I almost forgot that you're an only child. I always think it's sad when siblings argue and fight."

"You're not a thing to be control but I guess if your brother is holding the chains then I might want to do something about that." Kai said that as he walked by her.

"Wait," She grabbed his arm to ensure that he did, "What do you mean?" There was fear in her voice that, for some reason, made his heart ache.

"You said yourself that waiting isn't a bad thing."

"Waiting too long isn't a good idea."

"You shouldn't have to wait too long."

"When should I know?"

"That all depends on your brother." Kai felt her hands shaking before she let go.

"If you hurt him…"

"I won't." He walked to the stairs. When he reached the ground, he noticed that his teammates were waiting a good distance away. Krypton was standing in his spot, waiting. His eyes narrowed as soon as Kai noticed him.

"Let's meet here after dusk." Kai said, using his old voice tone.

"Why?"

"To finish the match. I'll name the other terms as soon as we get here."

"Sounds interesting. Alright, here at dusk."

Kai went to his teammates.

"What did Jade want to talk to you for?" Tyson asked.

"Just to finish the conversation we were having last night."

"What's the topic?" Max asked, since he thought it must be impressive or interesting for Kai to talk.

"On this band that Krypton and her like. I think they're trying to restart a fan club on them or something."

"What's the band called?"

"Teenage Wolves."

"Is that what you were listening to?"

"She was letting me borrow it for a while."

"Oh, anyway, do you want to hang with us?"

"I have something else to do."

"Oh, well, see you tomorrow."

They all walked away. Kai went in another direction, heading towards his old hideout. He practiced there, while listening to the music. He thought that it was interesting, since some of the songs were making him perform better. When he stopped for some rest, he found himself missing his gang. He wasn't totally cruel to them, though he was wondering what they thought of him. When he brushed off Carlos, he was willing to go against him. Since the others left him when Krypton talked to them, he wondered what they thought of him. Then he started to wonder why he was now thinking about this. It's not like he would admit to it if they were around.

The time came to go. Kai could tell by the amount and shade of the light that was coming into the hideout. He remembered in the past, this would tell him to go home. Right now, it symbolizes one of the most important matches in his life is coming. Not only was it to free Jade from Krypton but to get Dark Dranzer back. He didn't want to treat Jade as an item but he figured that Krypton wouldn't really give up his control, most dictators don't.

He arrived at the dish before the sun finished setting. He figured that Krypton would be a bit late since that's how it usually is for training. He would've leaned or sat on something but he didn't want Krypton to think that he had a lot of confidence in his victory. He might hate him but there is some amount of respect. Though it puzzled him on why but he just blew it off.

Kai didn't know how long after dusk he waited for him. He figured that Krypton needed to wait for the other members of his family to go to sleep before he considered it safe. Though, for someone who either runs or is a highly respected member of a gang would know how to escape one's own home. After all, he was no stranger to such behavior himself. And he was just in a Beyblade gang.

"I see that late nights aren't your thing."

Kai looked up to see that he was the same silhouette that took Dark Dranzer. He got up and shook a bit to take off the sleep. "You like taking your time."

"Don't like looking at time. I let others tell me when I need to go. What are the other terms?"

"To start off, I want Dark Dranzer back."

"I guess I wasn't really hiding it from you. But isn't that the thing that got you in trouble with your teammates?"

"You guys claim to know what happened, my words were that I wasn't going to let that power go."

"So you tricked your Grandfather to let you have Dark Dranzer just so you'll have power. I didn't know that you were so impish."

"And what's your reason to have him?"

"To make sure that you don't use him again. You already have Dranzer."

"And you have your Bit Beast."

He pulled out Dark Dranzer. "I'll never put him on my blade. Is there anything else?"

"Letting you know that that's the main thing. Otherwise, I'm hoping that if I win, you'll stop controlling your sister's life."

He just stared at Kai but Kai couldn't tell what was in them since they were under darkness. "Just because of a kiss you think that she's yours?"

"Humans aren't items."

"I know what's best for my sister."

"She looked nervous and stressed while we were talking. What that really means, I don't know."

"Fine, we'll let those be the terms. If I win, I keep Dark Dranzer and you stay away from my sister."

"If I win, you stop controlling your sister. Deal."

They got out their launchers and got ready to shoot.

"Three… Two… One… Let it Rip!" Both yelled and let loose their blades. Kai was more comfortable using his own blade against Krypton. He knew the mechanics behind every turn. Though he only worried for a brief moment that Krypton understood them and mastered them. At least now he'll finally know whether it was lack of strength or the Bit Beast that brings them out.

Both were equally matched. It was if they were brothers or best friends that they countered each others moves perfectly, predicting where they were going next, striking when it was good and blocking as well. If the others were there watching, they would thought that this would be like the match of the century it was so good, though that wasn't the intent of either blader. The terms that started this match were the driving forces for this magnificent display of skill and power. Both wanted their end of the deal of the terms and that what's keeping them in this game. Now, it was all in the matter of who wanted it more. Which one had the most drive to make sure that they get their end on the terms? Anyone watching could see that both wanted it badly.

Kai was amazed and annoyed that Krypton's blade was lasting as long as it was. Though he knew it wasn't going to be an easy win, he at least thought there was some kind of advantage since Jade wasn't helping him. Dranzer started to glow and Kai knew that his Bit Beast might come out. "Dranzer!" He yelled with all his might. Dranzer came out of his blade and above the stadium. His glorifying red brightened the area. "Fire Arrow!" Now his blade seemed to be engulfed in flames and was coming at Krypton's at a speed.

Krypton moved his blade just enough to avoid him but his blade started to spit out the darkness. Kai knew that meant his Bit Beast wanted to fight; the only question is if Krypton will allow it. His blade moved so fast that Kai couldn't keep up with it. A dark mist, that seemed to invoke fear into the heart of the opponent, was blanketing Krypton's blade, though this wasn't affecting Kai since of the training that he got at the abbey when he went back as well as when he left. Kai knew that Dranzer wanted to fight against his Bit Beast; he could feel it. But, Krypton ended it with one direct hit that sent Dranzer in the air. Dranzer landed on the edge of the dish but his blade lapped once and knocked him off balance. When Dranzer hit the ground, so did Kai's hope of ever being with Jade. He looked over at Krypton to see him breathing hard. He smiled once he had enough air in his lungs, "Looks like I won."

Kai picked up his blade then looked at Krypton. He wanted to say something but there was no point to it. He left without a single word being said.

The next day, everyone met at the park. Max was telling everyone that his father was hoping to take him to a lake nearby for some fishing. Kai was only half listening since he was depressed about losing to Krypton. Of course, no one could tell that he was since he wasn't really looking at Kai and they assumed that he was listening. Kai heard footsteps coming toward them. He turned his head to see that it was Jade and Krypton, with Krypton in a lighter mood than yesterday. Jade never looked at Kai.

"Follow us." Jade said. They led them to a place that had logs. Not to mention other items.

"Why are we here?" Tyson asked.

"I want to know what you can cut. This is a test to see what you can and can't cut with your blade. It's for the new dish our friends are building."

So they began their work on cutting the items. All the while, Kai felt Krypton's mocking smile, which was only making him, and Dranzer, mad.

Wow… I wish that I could draw what they look like or something. Pictures give a clearer view as to what's going on. Anyway, it's obvious that Kai isn't going to take that defeat lying down. It's anyone guess on what's coming up.


	3. Chap 3 Rei is Back in Town

Hello… how is everyone today? I hope it's a bright sunny day with the fragrant of flowers hinting in the light breeze… Oh wait… If you're at the computer that most likely means that you don't have a light breeze in your house… That or you don't even know the weather outside… I would say to go out and have fun but then you wouldn't read this epic story… Though it's not in a poem, that would be too much trouble on my part, it's still an interesting story to read… Enjoy!

Mr. Dickenson was sitting at the airport lobby. He was checking his watch over and over. When he wasn't looking at the time, he was searching for someone, scanning the people that were walking around. He looked like he could eat his hat if that someone didn't come soon.

"Hi Mr. Dickenson." Said a friendly voice from behind him. Mr. Dickenson stood up and turned around. He smiled to see Rei standing there without any help.

"My, you look splendid. Glad to see that you've healed nicely."

"It was really good to spend some time back home as well. You didn't tell me why I was called here though?"

"I'll explain on the way." They walk out of the airport.

The other BladeBreakers were blading each other in a sandbox. In the beginning, they were thinking that it was a joke but Jade assured them that it was harder than what they thought; which they proved by not moving when their blades hit the sand. Kai was able to move a small amount when Dranzer hit but that's it. He has been practicing ever since his defeat and he has been seeing it's improved his skills. Though exactly what he wanted to challenge Krypton again, he wasn't sure. Kai was also noticing that Jade was looking around every now and then for something.

Once Jade showed them how it was done, they were having a great time. Well, at least Tyson and Max since they were trying to get the other stuck in the sand.

"You finally showed up." Krypton said as he stopped playing his guitar though not getting off the fence.

Everyone looked to see Mr. Dickenson and Rei! Tyson and Max ran up to their teammate, glad that he was back and looking great. Kai just stood where he was, though also glad to see him well.

"Was Rei's flight late or something?" Jade asked, at least Kai knew what she was waiting for.

"It was, but as you can see he's here now."

"Better late then never I suppose." Krypton said.

"Rei, this is Jade and that's her brother Krypton." Tyson said, introducing their new instructors.

"Hi, nice to meet you." Rei said with his usual friendliness.

"Glad to see that you're doing well. I hope that blading is still in your blood." Jade said with something that caught Kai's attention. He wasn't sure what it was but he knew that he didn't like it.

"It'll always be."

"That's good to hear. Well, how would you like to get some training in? Or do you need to know where you're staying?" Krypton asked. Kai noticed that he was being kinder to Rei than to them. Though he knew that Rei was injured, he was curious to know why they were acting this way.

"I can wait on my housing. Mr. Dickenson told me that you two are training us for a tournament in Australia. Sounds like a lot of fun." That's when Kai noticed that Mr. Dickenson was nowhere in sight.

"Well, if you get tried, just rest." Krypton offered but it was only bothering Kai.

"Thanks but I've done enough of that already."

"Ok, they're launching their blades in that sandbox. Let's see how you do." Jade said with a friendly smile. Kai knew that Jade only smiled like that when they were going to that nightclub. That's when he knew that he wouldn't like the reason they're thinking of to be nice to Rei.

Rei, mindlessly clueless as to what's going on or just ignoring it, pulled out his launcher and blade. "Do you want me to just launch or do I need an opponent?" He looked at Jade.

"Kai." She called him but she didn't look at him. He also knew that she was trying to hide something in her voice.

"Don't go easy on me just because I just got here." Rei requested.

"Not a problem." He wanted to see the reaction of them anyway so that wouldn't be a problem.

"Three… Two… One… Let it Rip!" Jade called and Krypton started to play. Unfortunately for Rei, he wasn't excepting music so it threw him off a little bit that made his blade get stuck in the sand.

"Sorry, guess I should've told you that Krypton will be playing his guitar during practice." Jade held an apology smile.

"That's fine. I should've been more focus. Ready to go again?" Rei looked at Kai.

Kai nodded his head and picked up his blade. Both got ready again.

"Three… Two… One… Let it Rip!" Jade called again. Rei this time was ready for Krypton's music and was on the sand. Though it only lasted a few moments since Kai was able to launch his blade closer to Rei's to knock it off before his blade was stuck. Rei's blade only had those moments to see whether his blade was able to stand on sand. Luckily, it was but they weren't sure for how long.

"Rei, you just launch yours this time. I want to see how long you can stand on sand."

"Right." Rei picked up his blade and launched it back into the sandbox. He lasted shorter than Kai when he first tried it.

"That's really good for your first try." Jade said. That's when Kai started to feel something stirring inside of him. He didn't even know what it was but now he was starting to hate his own teammate. It would've been different if it were Tyson or Max since he could get mad at them more easily. But this was Rei, the one who suffered to make sure that they had a chance at getting the World Champion title. One could say that he gave his life to make sure that they won. In the past, he would've gotten mad at Rei for this feeling; though he probably wouldn't admit that he like Jade in the first place.

During the training session, Kai noted that everyone else on the BladeBreakers team was starting to notice the difference in treatment. Rei seemed to notice something but he was hiding it really well.

"That's it for today," Jade said once Rei and Max were done with their match, "Be there at the same time."

"Rei, do you want to catch up to the others?" Krypton asked. This tipped everyone else off that there was a reason that they were nice to Rei and it wasn't for that he just recovered from his injuries.

"I think I'm going to crash. I'll see you two tomorrow." Rei said like he knew something was wrong. He waved bye and started to walk away. His teammates followed him.

"Hey, are you really crashin' 'cuz we still need to hang?" Tyson asked with a smile.

"I was waiting for you guys to ask. Though I really need to get to my apartment."

"Great, be at the bridge." Tyson said as him, Max, and Kenny headed off.

"We'll be there waiting." Max said.

"Right." Rei noticed that Kai was still behind him, "Are you going with them? Or are you not even interested?"

"Do you even know what they're talking about?"

"You noticed?"

"What about your apartment?"

"Mr. Dickenson got me a new one but I don't know what style it's written. I can understand Japanese Kanji a little bit." He pulled out a fold piece of paper and handed it to Kai.

Kai opened to see the inn that he was staying at. Luckily, he knew where it was. He also noticed that there was a small restaurant near the place. "Follow me." And Kai led the way.

The place looked old and outdated but it was still kicking. This section of town was known for its old buildings.

"Looks like something from a traditional Japanese setting." Rei said with a smile.

"I'm guessing Mr. Dickenson is broke to get you a place like this dump."

Rei looked at Kai then smiled for some reason though Kai had no idea why. "Nah, I think he's getting the best for the Australian Tournament. He told me that this big game company is the sponsor for the our real competition."

"So the local team isn't?"

"Not from what Mr. Dickenson has told me."

"Then you can fill us in since we have next to nothing on them."

"Chief can't find anything on them?"

"If he has, he hadn't told me anything."

"I see… I'll go in and put my things down. There's another stop though that we have to make."

"The restaurant?"

"I should've figured that you would've read everything on it. Do you know where that is?"

"I do."

"Great, thanks a lot." Rei headed in. He came back after a few minutes and Kai showed him where the restaurant was. Though he went with him since he was curious as to why Rei needed to know where this place was. Kai found out that Rei was going to work here during the time that he stays. Tomorrow he starts working but he'll show up when he does since he didn't know when the training with Jade begins.

"You might want to ask if they could keep the time the same." Kai suggested as he was leading him to the bridge.

"You think they would?"

"You seem to be their favorite."

"I was noticing that too. Mr. Dickenson told me that they were ruthless and brutal when it came to other people outside their group."

"That seemed true."

"Were they nice because of my injuries?"

"I don't think so."

"Maybe I'll find out."

"Why are you having a job anyway?"

"I need the money for whatever comes up."

After a few more minutes of walking, they reached the others.

"Hey Rei." Tyson said. Rei sat down near Max, who was nearest to the stream. Though Rei thought that they were going to meet at the bridge and not on the hill beside it. Kai stayed at the top of the hill and turned his music low so he could hear them but loud enough for him to hear it if he wanted to ignore their voices.

"This is a cool place to meet." Rei was taking in all the scenery. He was fortunate that a breeze came when he said that, making the scene have a serene atmosphere.

"Yea, only when we got here that Max remembered that you've never been here before." Kenny said with his laptop on.

"Do you know how to read Japanese?" Tyson asked, since they also remember that he's originally from China and not Japan.

"Kai helped me out. I know enough Japanese words to get by but not enough in reading."

"I know what you mean. It took my awhile to learn this language too." Max said, having everyone remember that he came from America.

"Was it hard for you to learn too Kai?" Tyson looked at him.

"Not really."

"I guess since you were living with your Grandfather that it helped a bit." Kenny analyzed.

He just shrugged though for some reason, he knew that his Grandfather wasn't the only reason that he knew Japanese so well. Ever since he got his memories back, he felt like there was still a gap in it somewhere but he couldn't find where.

"You know, Mr. Dickenson told me that our rivaling team is also from around the world." Rei said, waiting to have a good moment to bring it up.

"Really?" Max said with puzzlement.

"What has he told you?" Kenny asked.

"Well, there seems to be a team that this big game company from Japan created. Maybe you guys heard of it? It's called Kaiba Corp."

"Oh, that high tech game company." Kenny said.

"I thought they were only interested in video games and stuff like that?" Tyson questioned.

"Well, they were once producing products that were promoting this game called Duel Monsters. Though there was a report that said they gave some of their technology to a space company." Kenny explained.

"Really?" Max asked.

"Yep, and apparently before the new president of Kaiba Corp, they were creating weapons. I guess then it's no wonder that so many companies were competing for it."

"How did that space company get its technology?" Rei asked.

"There was this special way of doing so…"

"You had to beat him in Duel Monsters and only one person ever did during that time." Kai said those words but he didn't even understood how he knew, though he didn't let that slip to his teammates.

"Yea, that's right."

"How did you know Kai?" Tyson asked.

"I remember that my Grandfather talking about it once." Kai had to lie, there was no way he could explain it to them. He didn't even know how to explain it to himself.

"I guess that wouldn't be a really big surprise considering his goal." Max said.

"Does Kaiba Corp makes Beyblades?" Rei asked.

"No, they create the stadiums that are used in high level or special matches."

"That means that their team is high trained. Why didn't they enter in the World Tournament?" Tyson asked.

"They weren't ready to enter." Everyone looked at Rei. "According to Mr. Dickenson, they were hand picked by the president of Kaiba Corp. They were strong in their area of their country but there wasn't much of a comparison since there weren't that many that owned blades. All were well educated in their respected countries but not that much on the world outside; most came from rural places. The president took them and brought them back to Japan for some training as the tournament to form our team was starting. They were there in the final round, from what Mr. Dickenson told me, so they do know our team. But unlike Jade and Krypton, who kept an eye on us the entire way, they only saw us in formation and finishing.

"During the time we were traveling and battling, they were training in many places. They went to different countries and learned from them. Not to mention all the simulations and strength increasing excises they went through."

"That sounds like something BIVOLT was doing." Tyson then realized that it might've been wiser not to say that.

"How does Mr. Dickenson know that much information? There isn't even information on them on the Internet." Kenny said as he typed away, searching for anything on them.

"Do you know their team name?" Rei asked.

"I'm looking under teams for Kaiba Corp but all I'm getting is past dueling tournaments that either the president has entered in or tournaments he held."

"Maybe he doesn't want them to be known?" Max dropped a possibility.

"See if you can find anything on Yami Hunters."

Kenny looked at Rei then started his search, "That has zero hits."

"Is that their name?" Max asked.

"Yep, though where did he get that idea, don't ask me. I'm not even sure what 'yami' means."

"It means Darkness, the element." Kai explained.

"Thanks."

"Where are they from?" Tyson asked.

"One is from Egypt; one is from India; one is from Greece; another is from Chile; and the last Blader is from Iraq."

"They're a five-member team?" Max couldn't believe it since five is more than enough members for a team.

"Does he have any information on them?" Kenny asked, now typing this down in his laptop.

"The Egyptian knows everyone since she was the first to be picked. The Indian is a Brahmin with power. The Greek seems to have some kind power but Mr. Dickenson never could found out what it was. The Iraqi is the second strongest blader on their team and she doesn't like to lose. The Chilean comes from a powerful shaman family…"

"What is a 'shaman'?" None of them seemed to know what a shaman is. At least Rei wasn't able to read that anyone understood.

"A shaman is someone with mystical powers that connects them to the dead. Though that's one of the common terminologies for the word. They can also be connected to spirits."

"Mystical powers? Like anyone has that." It was clear that Tyson wasn't a believer, and neither was Kenny but that wasn't bothering Rei. He noticed that there was a something in Kai's eyes that he quickly hid once Rei looked over at him.

"Well, we could be considered as shamans. The way we call out our Bit Beast."

"Oh, does Mr. Dickenson know that Jade and Krypton have Bit Beast?" Kenny asked, this catching more of his attention.

"Yea, but he doesn't know what they are. They don't want anyone to know." Kai was angry at those words since he was so close to finding out.

"What about the origin of their blades?"

"They said that it was personal. Though he did try to find their parents but he couldn't even find where they were born."

"That's odd. Dizzy, you give it a try."

"You got it…………… I got many hits but I don't know where to begin."

"What are their last names?" Max asked.

"Tomi, I think."

"… Nope, there's no Jade or Krypton under that name."

"I guess the only way to know is to ask them." Rei suggested.

"I was wondering something, why were they being nice to you Rei?" Rei noticed that Tyson was hiding his jealously. He looked around and noticed that the others, minus Kai, were also hiding theirs.

"I really don't know. If you guys really want to know the reason then I'll ask them."

"Don't bother. Most likely they won't tell you when we're around." Kai said in his cool fashion. Rei couldn't read whether he was feeling the same as the others or not.

"I guess you do have a good point. After all, Mr. Dickenson did warn me that they're brutal and ruthless when it comes to outsiders."

"What do you mean?" Tyson asked, with a hint of anger for the wording.

"Krypton is the physical fighter between them and it seems that he knows how to fight with his life on the line. Jade is the better blader out of the two and she brutal when anyone challenges her. When Mr. Dickenson first saw her, she destroyed her opponent's blade like she was breaking bones. What makes it worse is the fact that they're emotionless when they fight. Unlike other bladers, they don't seem to sent their energy to their blades."

"She didn't do that to us when we battled them."

"How was the match set up?"

"The first time it was Kai and me against them. As they were training us, it was one on one."

"And when they were battling with Kai, he was the last to go, their Bit Beast wanted to come out." Max added.

"Well, they're here to train us so that means they can't destroy your blades. Have any thoughts on why Kai?"

"Not really. Other than that they were getting weak from the other two matches."

"That's a good point. I bet you guys were amazed at their skills. Mr. Dickenson told me that their better as a team since they can hide each other weaknesses very easily."

"That's really true and to top it off, they also have very old models." Kenny said.

"Really? Are the old blades that powerful?"

"Normally, no. Supposedly, anyone should be able to defeat them with little or no effort."

"Well, we better get going. After all, we still have training tomorrow." Tyson said, getting up.

"See ya tomorrow Rei." Max also got up.

Kenny got up as soon as he turned off Dizzy, "I'll see whether I can find anything on either Jade and Krypton or the Yami Hunters."

"Then I'll see you guys tomorrow." Rei got up and waved them off. He noticed that Kai was just then getting up. "It seems that you like to be last."

"I'll bring you to the meeting spot."

"It also seems that you're the only one that's remembering that I'm new to this area."

"You just put on an act that says you know what's what."

"That's what I've learned. Thanks anyway."

Kai walked off. Though Rei didn't know, he was heading back to his hideout to improve. He wanted to beat Krypton, and this time he didn't care what the reason would be to fight him again. Rei went back to his inn and told his new boss that he'll work in the morning. He set up his new mini house before going to bed.

Rei is hard at work. He was cleaning and cooking around the place, the good thing is that there isn't that much business so Rei actually has time to relax and enjoy this traditional looking area. Kai showed up around noon, but he didn't come to get Rei just yet. Rei would've talked to his friend since he hadn't seen him in a while but knew that he wasn't too big on talking like Tyson. So he just kept on working.

After an hour since Kai arrived, he told Rei that they have to get going. He said bye to his boss before heading out. Kai led him to the park and everyone else was already there. Jade was there too and she seemed surprised to see them two walking together.

"You're on time." Kai said, though it sounded cold it really wasn't. Though only Jade knew that.

"I came early and besides, you guys are supposed to be here on time. The others were here before I was."

"Sorry, it was my fault. I needed to get something but it was taking us so long to get it. I thought I knew where it was until Kai assured me that it was somewhere else. He dragged me over here, saying we were going to be late for training." Rei covered up the fact that he's working. Though, he story was believable on some levels, others were just out of character for Kai. Though no one made a comment.

"What was the thing that you were looking for?" Kai noticed that Jade was trying not to look at him since he was between her and Rei, though there was that longing.

"Just something. Oh, could you keep the time slots for training the same?"

"Why? Out of curiosity."

"For my jet lag."

"I see, sure. Not a problem. It's always around this time anyway." She started to walk off.

"That time is?" Rei whispered.

"One." Kai said lowly since he figured that Rei didn't want the others to know.

"Thanks." He went with the others. They were all talking about something and Rei was just listening to it all. Kai turned on his music but not loud enough for anyone really to hear it. Luckily, if anyone did look back at him, his scarf would hide the headphones from sight.

She brought them back to the spot where they first got their training but there was a new dish. The dish wasn't cluttered with sharp objects projecting from the dish but one wouldn't wish to send their blade in there. And to boot, the dish was so small it seemed impossible to have a match in that even if you wanted to.

"Is this really the dish they'll be using?" Kenny asked in disbelief.

"It sure is." Krypton said from the darkness spot in the area.

"Do you want to trash our blades?" Max asked.

"Don't worry about your blades, that's why there isn't that much spikes. We'll add them as they improve." Jade said with an innocent smile that told you not to believe her.

"But our blades won't even fit in there." Tyson said.

"Does the little baby want to give up?" Krypton mocked. Kai noticed that since he victory, he was mocking everyone now. Jade just put up a blind eye to it. Tyson also hated all the insults and mockery that he was dishing out.

"I'll show you how it's done then." Jade brought out her blade and launched it into the dish as soon as Dizzy was up. She did the maneuvers that she wanted them to know and if they wanted to be better then they would have to do something impressive. When she was done, Kenny replayed the tape and everyone was watching. Rei was amazed that a heavy looking blade like that was able to move the way she did. When she knew it was done, "Who wants to go first? And be warned that anything can happen when your blade enters the dish."

Tyson was just about to say something when Rei walked up to the dish. There was a bit of shook in Jade's eyes but that wasn't stopping Rei from getting ready. "Just let me know when."

"Anytime you want."

Rei released Driger into the dish. Though Driger wasn't launched into the dish but on the rim. He encircled it a few times before entering the dish itself. He was making those impossible sharp turns at an amazing speed.

"Way a go, Rei!" Tyson was so ready to dive in there himself. The others were impressed as well, including Kai. Jade and Krypton were really stunned by this display of control that they were wondering if he always had this control. Though all this was impressive, Kai noticed that there was something really odd with Rei. His body looked calm and peaceful for some reason, and his back was turned to them just enough so at least he couldn't see his eyes.

"Well Jade, where's that surprise?" Rei's voice was also peaceful and calm, though Kai noted that he recently put them there.

Jade had to shake out of her amazement before answering by launching her blade into the dish. Unlike Rei, hers went on a projected object and followed that into the dish. That's where the two blades met and were having a battle. Though Jade wasn't fairing too well as Rei was, which is surprising since you would think that she would know this dish inside and out.

Kai could tell that this was going to be a heated battle by the way Rei was pushing Jade around. He could tell that Rei wanted to show his friends that he was going to be treated the same way. Kai looked over at Krypton to see both amazement and anger in his eyes, since it looked like Jade could actually lose a battle. Kai also noted this on Jade too, though it was really through her blade that he could tell. They both didn't want to go down as losers but why? Of course, he understood that no one wants to lose but he had learned that if you do your best that it was alright. And since they had watched them since the very beginning, shouldn't they have learned the same thing?

As soon as Rei got Jade to fight him like she would the others, he called back Driger. Which bothered both Jade and Krypton for some reason, though Kai knew that they might know soon.

"Wow! That was great Rei!" Tyson said, packing him on the back.

"Where did you learn moves like those?" Max asked.

"Do you really think that I would lay around as my old teammates practice around me? Oh, Kenny, would you mind looking at Driger?" He opened his palm to reveal that Driger's attack ring was damaged, though no one knew whether it was from this fight or one in the past.

"Sure, not a problem."

"That was great Rei. You've really have improved since the World Tournament." Jade said with a fake smile that only Kai noticed. Kai figured that they don't like to be humiliated since there was hate in her eyes.

"I had to do something while I was recovering."

"Who's up next?"

"I am!" The bumped-up Tyson got into position and let his Beyblade fly. Dragoon wasn't fairing as well as Driger on the course but he wasn't getting too badly cut. It wasn't long before Jade launched her Beyblade in and knocked Dragoon out. Once Dragoon hit the ground, her happier mood was returning.

Max was up and he was taking all the turns slowly since his Beyblade wasn't really a speedy blade. Once he did a few laps, Jade launched again and was now playing with Draciel. Max was doing pretty well with fighting and dodging the sharp objects. Tyson was cheering him on as always. After a while of repetition, Jade knocked Draciel out and onto the earth. That's when Kai noticed that Max and Tyson's Beyblades weren't that badly chipped as Rei. He wondered if it had anything to do with the battle.

Kai went to the spot that Rei took, the others were at a slightly different spot but still on the same side. He closed his eyes a bit for concentration and to remember one of the songs that he liked off that CD. When his eyes opened with determination, that song played in his head as Dranzer was ripping through the course. He started to notice that all he was seeing was his blade zooming around everything as that song was playing in his head.

Before Jade even launched her blade into the dish, he kind of predicted where in the song she would enter. Allowing him time to react to her moves easier.

Everyone knew that when Kai goes home, he doesn't let up on his training. Rei smiled, glad to know that he wasn't the only one with advance looking moves. He looked over at Krypton and noticed that there was a lot of hatred. He was wondering if it had anything to do with Kai actually taking the lead and forcing Jade to follow.

After a few more clashes, both centerpieces were glowing. Though normally Dranzer's light is like light being covering by a loosely fitting cover, this time it seemed that it was ablaze. Rei really thought he could see little curves at the end of light beam. Jade's blade wasn't glowing traditionally either; it was soft and showing signs of hope. That's when Jade called back her Beyblade and Kai did the same.

"We'll be back in a hour or so. Practice here for a while." Krypton pushed a button and bottom of the dish started to rotate along with the spikes that where with it. They went off in some direction.

"Rei, how did you get your blade damaged like this?" Kenny asked since they were no longer in sight.

"I was trying something that an old friend showed me when I was back home. I know that it was working but I still have a long way from mastering it." Kenny compared Rei's to the others that he has seen and only Rei's was damaged the most out of them.

"You should try staying what you know with them, that way your blade wouldn't get damage."

"You're probably right. So, who wants to try that?" He looked at the dish. Rei didn't have a good feeling when she turned it on but now he sees his battle with Brian. He could feel his flesh getting nipped at, every time death was waiting. Brian wanted him to lose his life as well as the match but he managed to give that battle all he got. He almost lost Driger again in that battle and, of course, himself. What snapped him out of this memory was the sudden chill in the air. He looked at his friends to see that they weren't noticing it. He thought that only he felt it since he was the only one that faced Brian at the World Tournament.

"Looks like Kai is." Max said, making Rei look at their leader. He was just about to launch his blade in the center before moving his launcher slightly to the right, hitting one of the spikes as it was turning. Dranzer looked like it was able to keep up with the speed of the rotation but Rei knew that he wasn't trying to keep up. Then Dranzer was launched outside of the ring. Kai picked him up and brushed the dust off.

"Nice try Kai but let me have a shot." Tyson had his launcher with Dragoon strapped in near his head. He pulled back as hard as he could, having his Beyblade landing on the rim. Dragoon was able to zoom across the center four times but was spinning out of the dish on the fifth tried. He blade was almost trashed.

"Is Dragoon ok?" Max asked as he got his own launcher and Beyblade ready.

"I think it'll be ok. I might as well repair it. Rei, do you want me to repair Driger?" Kenny asked.

"I'll let you know later, ok?"

"Sure."

Max launched Draciel into the spinning dish. He was almost launched into the bottom but luckily it landed at the edge. He barely escaped the sword-thorns that were on the spikes. Rei was really impressed that Max was able to cross the bottom four times before flying out, considering that his blade is a lot heavier than the others.

"Ok Rei, your up." Tyson was expected that he would show off like before and he couldn't wait.

Rei walked up there with only a little of his confidence with him. He thought that he had gotten over this feeling of fear. After all, they were the World Champions and they would most likely fight them again someday. Plus, there'll be a lot more cruel people that they'll face than BIOVOLT and the Demolition Boys. With quivering hands, he launched Driger into the deeps of his fear. Driger landed inside the dish and was moving fast as before but not going near the center. Rei summoned up his courage and faced this fear, this decision launched Driger into center. Right then the memory of that piece of the stadium that broke off and landed in the center crept into Rei's mind and eyes, making him freeze in his place. Driger lost his energy source and was sent flying at Rei, barely missing his face.

Rei looked at where his blade was and wondered if any of the others saw that.

"Rei, are you ok?" Max asked.

"I'm fine." He didn't look at his friend; he just picked up Driger, "I guess we'll all need some work on this." He looked at his friends with his usually happy look; he didn't want them to know that he was still fearful of that event. Of course, he friends at home knew this since he had nightmares while there. He looked at Driger to see that he didn't get damage too badly. "Could I try one more time before someone else goes?"

"Sure Rei." There was concern in Tyson's voice.

Rei got ready to launch again but that memory resurfaced. He shook it out of his head and was going to do this. He closed his eyes for concentration before launching Driger into the abyss of his fears. He heard the sounds of the spinning center, Driger making his laps and knives cutting cleanly the air. Everyone was silent, waiting for Rei to make his move. Rei imagined his friends cheering him on, encouraging him to fight this fear. When their voices were one, unified voice, he opened his eyes to send his energy to Driger, "Go Driger!" Rei knew that his eyes had a small slit. Everyone in his clan had these kinds of eyes. Driger zipped through that center like there wasn't anything there. Rei made him continue this pattern two more times before pulling him out. Rei felt good that he had over came that obstacle.

"Way a go Rei!" Max said with a smile.

"Yea, that was awesome." Tyson said. Rei could tell that they understood that he was still scared of the event in Russia. So they were just congratulating him on his personal victory.

Then everyone was trying his luck with it again. Everyone was getting better with each turn, including Kai. Though Kai was improving himself faster than the others, they just labeled it as trying to be perfect.

They were having a lot of fun with this training since everyone from the BladeBreakers was there, making it really enjoyable. Jade and Krypton didn't return until the sun was about to set. Some of the stars could already be seen at that time.

"Sorry we're so late. You guys may go home if you want. Rei, could I talk to you alone for a few moments?" Jade asked. Everyone had forgotten, including Kai, that Jade was hitting on him not too long ago.

"I guess I'll see you guys tomorrow then."

"Right." Tyson said. They waved bye before walking away, though Kai was just standing around. Krypton was eyeing him funny and he wanted to know why since it wasn't a mocking look.

"Follow me Rei." Jade didn't wait for him to respond.

Rei was a bit worried since Kai was looking at Krypton with a challenge look but he followed her just the same.

"Unfortunately for you, you made the wrong impression on my sister." Krypton said with hatred in his voice. He only spoke once he knew they were gone.

"At least I made an impression. And what was your plan for Rei? Trying to find a new protector?"

"I was trying to get her away from punks like you. I thought that Rei would be a good choice and he'll understand when Jade talks to him."

"Rei doesn't seem to be interested in that. He's probably worried about our teammates getting mad at him."

"In either case, seeing you around is starting to disgust me so we're going to have a little battle."

"My old terms still stand."

"My addition is that you train yourself and only be seen at the tournament."

"Where should this battle be?" A dish came up where Kenny was analyzing. They walked over and got ready to launch.

Jade brought them onto the rooftop of one of the buildings around there. She was sitting on the edge and Rei joined her. He was waiting for her to collect her thoughts.

"Rei…"

"Hm?"

"… I'm… sorry for what Krypton was planning."

"What was he planning?"

"Shouldn't it be obvious? He wanted me to like you."

"Do you?"

"Not in that way."

"Why then?"

"He doesn't want me to end up with someone he doesn't like."

"Isn't it early to think about things like that?"

"We've learned to never leave anything to the end. It's something that our parents taught us."

"Why?"

"They were so young. They had their lives still ahead of them…"

"What happened to them?" He figured that they must've been hurt or worse.

"They both died but it wasn't at the same time."

"I'll listen if you want to tell."

She looked at him, knowing that she could. She looked at the ground then ahead of her, "Awright, when we were young our father came back from one of their trips… A lot of times, mother would go with him and their other friends. We called them aunts or uncles by the way they were always around. Unfortunately I don't remember them anymore… I remember the finally time that our father came home… He was bleeding badly… Mother was really worried… We were waiting outside of the room that she brought him into.

"The next day, mother came from a door that led outside… I guess we fell asleep but we understood what that meant. Our father had died and now all we had was our mother. Our aunts and uncles were around to comfort her, comforting and playing with us. We didn't understand why our mother was gone more than before… She told us that we're never to leave the apartment no matter what happened.

"While she was making us dinner, there was a knock at the door. She went over, thinking that it was her manager or someone like that. But when she opened the door… It was a stranger… I mean, we've never seen him before… Mother and father said that our aunts and uncles were the only real friends that they ever had; so when she was so joyful, we were confused. She introduced us to him… I can't remember his name… He was so peaceful, hopeful. You knew he could bring hope to anything. Our mother said that he will help us in our future and if we ever see him again to listen and obey him.

"Not too long after that night, our mother left like many other times. But this time, she was being carried by one of our aunts. Both were bleeding too much to last much longer… Mother only managed to touch our faces and smile before dying. Our aunt buried her and we gave her and father respect like they told us… Something caught her attention but we couldn't see anything… She gave us her jewels," Jade touched the fiery red jewel on her chest wings, "and told us to never give them to anyone… She pushed us into the apartment… said not to leave. If she didn't come back in a month… or if something was happening that we couldn't control… we had to leave the apartment… She left us a good amount of money… kissed us on the forehead and left.

"Once that month passed, we waited. Hoping that she was just late… She was a philosopher and scholar so it could've been that… But we both knew that she wasn't coming back… We grabbed everything we could carry… we left our apartment and headed out… We thought we should try to find that mystery man, since he was supposed to help our future. But then we were corner but adult men… Krypton tried to protect everything we had… and me… but they were too strong… He wasn't strong enough when the knife went through," She was now rubbing her upper right arm. Making Rei think that the rest of her arm was a fake, though how could she afford an operation like that was beyond him.

"That's when we met our new friends. Krypton worked hard to get to the top. He didn't want what happened to us ever happen again. I wanted to learn as much as I could but I never wanted to learn where they were getting the money to get me into a nice school. I knew that their way was illegal but as long as I ignored that part, I'm fine. Of course, with this new life, had changed Krypton for the worse; he hasn't smiled in years and only now he has any start of making a living with a band." During her earlier parts, it sounded like she was sad and depress but she never display that on her face.

"I'm sorry for your lost." It was her voice, not her eyes, which told him that she's still hurting inside.

"All tears are gone."

"I'm guessing that some of your brother's personality has come through in your blading. I was told that you could be ruthless and cruel."

"That's something else we've learned. We knew that our parents were fighting something. Everyone we knew died because they lost. We vow to never lose to anyone or anything."

"If you didn't like me in the first place, in that way, then why did you follow?"

"I've never disobeyed Krypton. He's the only family I have left and I don't want to lose him too."

"Didn't you say that you were losing him? What about your own happiness?"

"I still have him physically at least. My own happiness coincides with his happiness."

"But you two are different people which means that you two have different ideas and dreams."

"I don't want to lose him." She sounded like she has to repeat this to herself many times before.

"If you tell him your dreams then he'll understand. If he loves you the same way you love him then he'll understand."

"Maybe…"

"I have a feeling that you like Kai, don't you?" She looked at him with shock in her eyes. "It's really obvious. It's really hard to read Kai sometimes. Do you know if he likes you?" He smiled when he saw her blushing.

"I know he does and somehow Krypton has this hold on him. A day after I told him that he liked me, he said that I had to tell him that I didn't like him in that way; though I'm having this feeling that he knew that I liked him and that I was lying. Then Krypton told me that he wouldn't be bothering me anymore. I was afraid that meant that he was going to kill him but then Kai was getting distant. Whatever my brother did, Kai was keeping his word."

"You also have noticed that everyone else has their eye on you? I got hound by them when that was brought up."

"I think dancing with them went to their heads. At first, that's what I thought happened to Kai but…"

"You liked the feeling that he gave you?"

"He really reminds me of Krypton so I understand him."

"That might be something that he really needs right now. We're all his friends but he won't open up to us."

"That's true."

"I think it would be best if you tell your brother what you wish for. He has to let you be you and not control your destiny."

"Why didn't you fall head over heels when you saw me? The others did, though I knew they would since everyone else has in the past."

"Mr. Dickenson gave me the heads up about you two. He said that your beauty lures everyone in and that's when you hit your hardest."

She laughed a good-hearted one, "That's what he told you? So you were scared of me?"

"I was hoping for a good challenge. I'm not saying that I'm better than the others but I at least want something to keep me going."

"Looking for that ultimate challenge? One that will really excite your blood?"

"I guess. All the other battles seem pointless once you reach the top. I wanted someone to show me that I still need improving." He was remembering all his battles, wondering if there was anyone in the past that was worth fighting a second time.

"Don't worry about that. You'll have lots of time with that trust me. I'm going to work you guys so hard that you think all battles, minus mine, are pointless."

"Then we'll never improve. By the way, have you always won with those old model Beyblades?"

"We have and that's because we can't lose. We have practiced every moment possible to be perfect, flawless."

"Of course you've trained in that area more than Krypton has, right?" Rei was impressed, since they themselves had to upgrade their Beyblades when the time called for it.

"That's right. In a Beyblade Battle, I'm the dominant one and he follows but no one could tell that he was the weak one out of us."

"How can you control your Bit Beast without calling to them?"

"That's for another time…" She looked horrified by something behind Rei.

He looked to see that the area where they left Krypton and Kai was now covered with this thick, dark cloud. Rei sensed that it wasn't a good sign.

"Jade, let's get over there." He said as he got up. Jade followed him down the stairs. They both ran to see why there was this cloud and why there was so much dark, negative energy coming from it.

Dun, dun, dun! Could it get more exciting than this? Of course it can! I'm just an amateur writer with no really experience other than that I've read many, many stories… Though how can I write when I'm dead?… That's a new puzzle for ya to solve… What will they find when they reach the area? Find out on the next Dragon Ball Z!… Oh wait… That's definitely the wrong show. Let me try this again… **coughs** Find out next time on Beyblades!


	4. Chap 4 Battle of the Dark Hearts

Well, I guess this means that you'll know what's going on around here. I mean, with them and not me… Though if you want to hear about my long, epic life I'm more than happy to tell you… Though you guys don't want to hear that… You only came to see what happens to the BladeBreakers. **Cries softly** I'll continue now… I wish I could receive a hug…

It was a while into the match. Kai and Krypton were clashing left and right with no clear sign of a victor. Both were getting mad that they were allowing themselves so long to finish the other off. Their blades were taking a serious beating but neither would give in. They wanted to prove who was superior to the other and they were willing to risk it all. If they could see beyond themselves, they would have noticed that there was a dark, dooming cloud of swirling purple and black lingering overhead. It was showing how much dark energy they both processed. To anyone that could sense this would be amazed at how much they equaled each other. Though this only explained half as to why they were so equal. This was a battle for power and only one is allowed to have that power, the power of Dark Dranzer. Kai knows the feeling of that power and so now he can't part with it. Krypton wants the power to know how it feels. This is really a great, but dangerous, battle since of all the dark energy lingering around.

Rei and Jade were running to get to the area where the dark cloud was. Both were hoping that nothing bad was happening to them. Though Rei's worries were more one side since Kai was their original leader and he doesn't know Krypton that well. Jade is worried for both since she cares for both of them the same.

"What could that be?" Jade asked as they were running on the streets.

"Just hope that Kai and Krypton aren't in the middle of it."

"I just know that my brother is. That's where we left him."

"Not only him, Kai too."

"You think Kai's there?"

"I wouldn't pass the idea."

A worried looked crossed Jade's face as they picked up their pace.

"I'm surprise that you're lasting this long." Krypton said, showing signs that he's getting tried. Kai knew that this would be a good chance to release Dranzer since he knows that he doesn't blade that often, like his sister.

"I guess I should put an end to that. Go Dranzer!" A red light shot from the center of Kai's blade and a phoenix appeared in the sky. The darken sky enhanced the red aura around Dranzer, but Kai never noticed that as soon as he appeared, the red aura that had always surrounded him during other battles was now gone and you could see the Dranzer's full image.

"You think your Bit Beast will help you win?"

"Unless you're willing to bring out yours. Fire Arrow!" Dranzer started to dive bomb on Krypton's blade until there was a burst of dark beams originating from the blade. You couldn't really see his unicorn Bit Beast unless you knew that it came out. Once the black aura was removed, a unicorn was shiny, jet black fur with deep crimson eyes and a dark reddish violet color for his mane and tail. His horns and hooves were white, also aiding to the search. Dranzer stopped in his attack.

"I'm not afraid to summon him out but I think it's pointless to waste his energy on pathetic bladers."

"At least I know what you have. GO Dranzer!" Dranzer flew right at his dark unicorn. His unicorn rose onto his hind legs and was trying to kick with his front. Dranzer rose into the sky and struck on his back. He was trying to thrash him off but Dranzer's talons were holding on tight.

Kai looked at Krypton to see that he was getting frustrated. He smiled; glad to see that this will be over in no time. The dark unicorn was trying to use his horn but Dranzer was just barely out of its reach.

"Dranzer, Flame Survivor!" Dranzer became engulfed in fire and the dark unicorn was getting burned. Then the unicorn did something totally unexpected. He jumped into the air and managed to roll onto his back, going to slam Dranzer into the dish. "Dranzer!" Dranzer let got to let the unicorn crash into the dish. Once the smoked cleared, the dark unicorn looked angry and was ready for some pay back. "Now that's interesting. Your Bit Beast is mad." Kai said mockingly.

"You better hope that you're safe. Right now, he wants yours to pay." This dark vine came out from the dark unicorn's back and wrapped itself around Dranzer's leg. It tried to pull him down but Dranzer was resisting.

"Dranzer!" Kai was worried since his Bit Beast was struggling to break free. Kai then wondered whether he was using Dark Dranzer or not. If he was then this wasn't going to be an easy victory as he originally thought.

"What's the matter Kai? Afraid that you'll lose everything." Kai noticed something within Krypton's eyes that he had never seen before. It seems like he was processed by something and he wondered if that's how he looked when Dark Dranzer was with him. Then a thought crossed his mind as to why he was even fighting over him? He didn't want to lose the only true friends he had ever had. So why was he fighting over him?

Of course the answer came back to his memory. Kai's grandfather handed him Dark Dranzer and never asked for it back. Then Krypton comes and steals it away from him so he's fighting to reclaim what was always his. Dark Dranzer belongs to only him and him alone. "You think I'm scared of a little unicorn? Dranzer, Fire Arrow!" Kai could feel his own energy transferring into Dranzer for the attack.

Dranzer flew into the sky and did a dive-bomb style of attack again. This time, the dark unicorn jumped back but Dranzer was able to level out and strike the horned horse. This placed the unicorn on the ground but it wasn't there for long. The unicorn hind kicked Dranzer, doing some kind of damage. Their Bit Beast battle went on, with both Beasts getting a serious beating.

"Why does it look like the cloud just grew?" Jade asked in horror to see the area that it was now covering greater.

"I don't know." They were walking slowly since they were now in the cloud faster than they were expecting. It was so dark that you couldn't see your hands near your face. "We should keep walking."

"But we can't see anything." Jade was sounding more nervous and Rei could hear her breathing hard.

"Are you ok?"

"Of course. Why wouldn't I be?" She answered too fast and there was fear in her voice.

"You sound scare."

"I'm not."

"Give me your hand." He put his behind him, where Jade should be.

"I can't… I can't see." She was making an excuse.

Rei found her upper arm and pulled her closer. "Let's keep walking."

"But… we could get lost in here." Rei wondered if there was fear in her eyes as well.

"Do you want to find your brother or not?"

"I don't think he's in here."

"Then what about Kai?" Rei felt her arm shaking almost violently. "Don't worry. We should be able to hear anything if something comes our way." Then Rei was able to walk with her. She still hadn't stop shaking. "Are you sure you're ok?"

"Why ask? I'm fine, really. It's just cold."

"It's not cold."

"Of course it is." It seems like she was just trying to comfort herself more than convince Rei. Then they heard the distance sound of two blades clashing.

"Who could be blading in this fog?"

"Shouldn't that be obvious? Kai and Krypton."

"They could've gone somewhere else?" She wanted to have an excuse to get out of here and Rei could hear it.

"Do you want to head back?"

She didn't answer since she knew that they were there but she was afraid of something. "Rei, hurry up and don't worry about what I say. Even if I protest about heading forward." She was breathing hard, trying to calm herself but didn't seem to help with her shaking.

"All right." He kept on walking. She was resisting him, sometimes yelling but he listened to her order so he kept on going.

As they were getting closer to the sound, the cloud was getting thicker, making it hard to breath. Jade was breathing harder and harder, walking more and more slowly.

"Jade, we're almost there." Rei could barely feel her arm shaking but he could feel her pulse and it was higher than normal. Rei knew that wasn't a good sign. Then she stopped breathing, her pulse seemed to have stopped as well and she collapsed. Luckily Rei was still holding her so she didn't fall all the way. Rei rechecked her pulse and it was still there though it was faint. Rei listened to see if she was breathing, though he couldn't heard her breathing he could feel it. He sighed, glad to know that she was ok.

He picked her up and carried her body to where they needed to be, hoping that she'll awake soon.

When he reached the edge of the cloud, he saw Kai and Krypton batting each other and their Bit Beast were out. It was definitely a fierce battle no matter what the underlining cause was. Other than at the World Tournament, he had never seen Bit Beast seeming to have so much hatred for the other. Their own Bit Beast seemed ready to kill the other, as did their Bladers. "Why are you two battling?" Kai looked at him and then narrowed his eyes.

"Where's Jade?" Krypton asked without even looking.

"She's with me."

"What's the matter Kai? Something wrong?" Krypton seemed to be teasing him and Rei had an idea why. He wondered whether he should tell Krypton that he's not going with Jade. Though Kai's eyes answered it. Rei could tell that Jade would have to tell them before they even considered believing it.

The dark horse went right at Dranzer. Dranzer was holding on but you could tell that Kai was losing focus. Rei placed Jade down to concentrate on the battle with his leader and their new teacher. Noticing how they were fighting, Rei was almost wondering what they were fighting about. Something came to Kai and Dranzer was fighting more and fiercer. Rei heard something from below him.

"Rei? Where are you?" She sounded daze.

"Are you ok?" He got closer to her, helping her to stand.

"Before I open my eyes, is there any light around?"

"What do you mean by light?"

"It's not like it was in the cloud."

"I would say so."

"… What are they doing?" She moved away from him and a bit closer to the Krypton since he was closer.

"They're battling over something and their serious about it, whatever it is."

"Krypton, what's going on?" Jade was really worried.

"Don't worry Jade, this will be all over soon enough."

"Rei, how do we stop them?" She looked at him with worried eyes.

He looked at Kai to see that he didn't want to quit and there was something else there that he couldn't really read, "I don't think it's possible to get them to stop right now. Kai's not going to give up."

"But this is really dangerous!" She seemed to understand something far more than what was being seen. "Krypton, you must stop this right now!" She yelled at her brother.

"Jade, I have to do this. So don't interfere."

"Rei, talk Kai into stopping." She looked at him but he just shook his head. "Why not? Can't you see that something terrible might happen?"

Rei looked at his leader and knew that he wouldn't listen. He thought that Rei made the decision to go out with Jade and Rei understood this. He knew the only way to make them stop was by stopping Krypton. "Jade, you have to convince your brother to stop. Kai won't listen to me right now."

"Why not? You guys were fine before we left."

"That was before we left. Unfortunately, he has a different mind right now."

"But…" She looked at her brother, "I can't do it…"

"This is your only way to stop them. I can't do it because they wouldn't hear what I say."

She looked down at the ground before turning to the battle. She fell to the ground, looking defeated. "I'm going to lose them."

They watched as their Bit Beast were giving it their all and more to defeat the other. Their bladers were giving them the energy that they were using up and Rei was wondering where it was coming from. He just had a feeling that it wasn't their own energy.

Jade held her head and lowered her head as if it was hurting.

"Jade?" Rei got a little closer.

"Rei, I'm losing him and I can't do anything. I'm not as strong as him. If he couldn't fight it then there's no way that I can. I'm going to be alone."

"Krypton!" He turned to look at Rei but his Bit Beast was still fighting. There was something really different about his eyes. "How could you do this to your own sister? She's the only family that you have left!"

"That's why I'm doing this. Everything I do is for her and no one else!"

"What you've been doing is hurting her! She's been hurting by what you've become."

"It's for our survival! And she knows that's the truth and the only way for us to stay alive!"

"This isn't a world where only the strong survive! It has a lot to do with one's heart and maturity."

"That might be your world, Rei but we live in a different world. I'm hoping that you'll allow Jade to experience that ideal world that you live in." He looked at the ground.

"I'm not going out with Jade!" He looked really surprised with those dark eyes of his. "My only interest in Jade is to be her friend."

"What!" He seemed to not to count on that.

"Now you see, I was right." Kai said gaining back some ground in the argument.

"Then why were you mad at your teammate?" Krypton looked at him, yelling.

"To fool you. Now, lets battle."

Their Bit Beasts were fiercer than before. They seemed like nothing was going to stop them and definitely no one was going to get in their way.

"Jade already feels like she lost most of you, don't make her feel like she's alone in this world. You both have lost so much already and you guys only have each other. You said that everything you do is for her then you must listen to her to know what makes her happy. Look at her, this isn't making her happy!" Krypton looked at his sister to finally see her expression. "She has already lost her parents. Don't make her lose her brother too!" He looked beside him and made a fist. He couldn't believe how blind he was.

He turned to the battle and his Bit Beast returned to its carrier. Dranzer was recalled as well. The Beyblades went back to their owners.

"Looks like you win Kai." Kai's eyes were showing surprise.

"Why don't you go see him Jade?" Rei said with a smile.

She got up and ran right into Kai's arms. They both looked so happy and that's when Rei noticed that the dark cloud was gone.

"I guess… I wasn't looking out for her after all…" Krypton was watching his sister and Kai smiling at each other.

"I think it's for the best. She's probably the best one that really understands him." Rei looked at Krypton to see that he had Dark Dranzer in his hands. "How did you get that?"

"This?" He held it up, "Kai had it all along. I took it from him when they got back to Japan. Me giving this back to him was apart of our agreement."

"Don't." Krypton stopped after taking one step and looked at Rei, who was now looking at his leader, "Look how happy he is right now. I really don't think that he really wanted Dark Dranzer once he met Jade. Plus, I'm betting that Jade doesn't even know that you, or him, had it so just keep it a secret for now. Don't press Kai about it either, just let him come to you if he really wants it back."

"All right… How do you think the others are going to take this?"

"As long as it's Kai, they can't really argue. Though Tyson is more strong headed, Kai is still our team leader."

"Well, you couldn't really tell by the way that Tyson takes charge and Kai warming the bench." Krypton said with a light heart.

"That's definitely true. Jade told me a little bit about your two past, I hope that's ok."

"That's fine."

"Is she scared of something?"

"Meaning?"

"When we were trying to get to you guys, she was freaking out. Then she collapsed. I even think that if she wasn't fighting so hard, it would've been similar to a heart attack."

"What! Are you serious?" He looked really worried. "How could that been? It wasn't even dark."

"Not where you two were battling but there was this huge dark cloud that we had to across."

"Our battle did that?" He looked surprise.

"That would be my guess."

He looked down at the ground, "She's claustrophobic and it's a really bad case of it too. She can't stand to be in a totally dark area. She had learned to fight against it but she can't stand it too long."

"No wonder why she wanted to get out so badly. Is she ok?"

"I hope so. I'll have our doctors look at her."

"How did she get that mechanical arm?"

"That's something that only this group has and that's one reason we're able to stay alive."

"So it's not only your determination to live."

"That's helped more times than what they're able to do. Well, see you tomorrow with the rest of the losers." Krypton walked away. Rei decided to follow his lead.

"Kai, why were you battling against my brother?" Jade asked from his chest.

"Practice." Kai couldn't bear to tell her the truth. He didn't want her to think that she was an item.

"But there was a lot of energy hanging around." She looked at him with worried eyes. Kai, for once, held a loving smiling on his face.

"I'm sorry about that… I was thinking about pulling out but something made me stay in." But right now, he couldn't remember what that force was.

"I thought you were stronger against my brother's taunts?"

"I know that's not the reason. Don't worry, I won't fight against your brother anymore." Kai just pulled her in closer and she just let herself rest upon him.

"Good, I don't want to choose between you two. I love you both too much." She was worried that her brother might've heard that but as of right now, she didn't really care too much about it.

"I love you too." He looked up to see who was around, though not really caring if anyone was there. No one was around and the sky was getting dark. "It's getting late." He said as he placed his head next to hers.

"Then we better get home. I don't want our friends to be worried about me."

"All right then." He pulled away and was walking with her.

Jade grabbed Kai's hand and leaned onto his arm. Kai wasn't sure what to do but he somehow liked the feeling so he watched her from time to time as they walked.

The next morning, even though he looked the same as always, everyone knew that Kai was in a super good mood. Though the others only talked about rumors, Rei was the only one that knew the real reason but wasn't going to mention until they do somehow. They didn't have to wait long for them to show up.

"Good morning." Jade said with a happier tune. The others were now wondering what she had talked to Rei about. "Before I start the training session, I would like you guys to know that I'm not interested in Rei, but in Kai." She said with a smile. The others were surprised but then smiled a little bit. Tyson decided that he would get in his jokes at a later time and the other two were just happy for their leader. Rei smiled for their happiness. "Now let's get training."

She quickly showed that even though she likes Kai, going-easy-on-him wasn't on her mind. In fact, she pushed everyone harder than she had before. Rei was the only one that noticed that Krypton had some thought in his mind and was waiting to say it. Though where did he find the time to notice what was beyond him since she was constantly working them.

When they were finally given a break, Jade was walking with them.

"You're coming with us?" Max asked with a bit of surprised.

"Why shouldn't I? Unless it's an all guy thing." She responded with cleverness.

"No, not at all. You're welcome to join us. Maybe we'll finally get some words out of Kai." Tyson teased.

"Rei." Rei looked behind him to see that Krypton was waiting for the others to leave. Only Jade noticed that he wasn't following and was either worried or wondering what her brother wanted with Rei.

Once they were out of hearing, "Yea?"

"I need you to do a favor for me…"

Wow! This is just the best spot to end it, don't ya think? I think so and in either case it doesn't really matter since I'm ending it here anyway… Maybe I shouldn't let you know what's going on anymore too?… Nah, then I wouldn't have any fun in telling you this… Finally, Kai and Jade are together. Now who didn't see that coming? Though now that they're together, will fate allow them to be together?… Sorry, I was just watching an episode on Fushigi Yugi so yea…. Baibai!


	5. Chap 5 The Training Begins

Hello again! I know that last chapter was short but that's how it happened to be… Anyway, I'm betting that you want to know what's going to happen next. You're like… Come on man! I want to know what happens to them!… Imagine the voice of a punk or something… I understand… you want me to stop typing so you guys get to know what happens to Rei and the others… Or was it Kai and Jade that you're most interested in… It could also be Krypton since he finally let his baby sister go with someone that she loves… Well… I guess you'll just have to read and see. Wait… if I keep on typing then how well you continue to read the story… Unless you jump straight to the story and not read this introduction… I feel so unloved. To those who are polite enough to read this section, I'm going to let you read the story. For those who skip this and go straight to the story, I'll curse you with sweet tooth! Enjoy!

"I need you to do a favor for me."

Rei looked at Krypton for a moment. He could see that there was some careful thinking put into this favor. "What kind of favor? I would like to know what you're asking me to do for you."

"Reasonable. I would like you to be the bodyguard for my sister and Kai."

"Bodyguard? Why would they need me help to protect them? Kai can do that on his own."

"I understand that but…" He looked at where they had walked, "I know that something is coming and I want to at least make sure that Jade and Kai are safe. Don't worry, I'll be training myself to be a bodyguard too since I want to ensure my sister's survival."

"You're making it sound like something is after their lives. What about the other BladeBreakers? Should we not protect them?"

"They're not in danger like Jade is. You don't understand the world that we live and breathe in. Jade knows that something will be coming after us once it is able to escape its prison."

"What is this thing that's after you and shouldn't you tell Kai this as well so he'll be prepared?"

"I don't want him looking over his shoulder when he should be focusing on Jade. Please, help me protect my sister and you protect your leader."

"If it's after Kai then shouldn't he know about it?"

"If it ever comes after him then he should know. I'm only guessing that it would be after him since it will aim for the thing most dear."

"And Jade knows this?"

"That's right. We were going to tell you either way since we believe that you have the potential of defeating this."

"Have you ever seen it before?"

"No, but we were warned to be careful of anyone or creature that attacks us. This thing can come in anything so we have become prepare to face it."

"I didn't think that Jade was a fighter like you."

"She isn't. She thought it could be fought in a different way. I know that she's right about most things but I want to make sure that she's safe even though her idea doesn't work."

"I understand. Ok, since I'm sure that Kai will protect her in anyway that he can, I'll do you this favor and protect them along with you."

"Thanks. Now, you need to get stronger. This opponent is strong but we don't know how strong. Do you have anywhere that you can train that the others can't get to? I want this to be a secret and that includes Jade."

"Yea, I have a place. I'll head there tomorrow."

"Thank you again and make sure that Driger gets the training too."

Rei nodded and walked after the others, "Why don't you join us?"

"I have other things that need my attention." He waved off.

Rei continued on his way. He found that his friends were having a good time since they have someone new that they could talk to. Of course, Kai had one of his arms around her and she was leaning into him most of the time. It seemed that only Kai noticed slightly that Rei entered in the area and the conversation.

"Wo, it's getting late. We have to get going." Kenny said, looking up at the sky to notice that the sun was setting.

"Wow… I'm sorry but when I get into an insightful conversation I can't stop talking." Jade said with a happy smile.

"That's ok. It was sure interesting. See ya tomorrow." Max said as he got up. He walked towards his house.

"Don't stay out too late, Kai. She needs to be home around eleven." Tyson teased as he and Kenny walked away.

"Want to be daring?" Jade said looking into Kai's eyes.

"I don't mind." He had on a devilish smile.

"By the way Rei." He stopped as he reached the top of the hill. He looked down at the couple.

"Yea?"

"What did my brother wanted to talk to you for?"

"He noticed a fault in my technique and was pointing it out to me. Well, I have to get going. Have a nice night." He continued his journey home.

"He's hiding something." Kai said watching him leave.

"And my brother is planning something behind my back." She rested her head on his cheek.

"Should we wait until tomorrow to see what it is?"

"Yea. It might reveal itself tomorrow anyway."

"Then when do you want to go home?" He whispered into her ear.

"Eleven thirty." She said with a joking smile. They got up and walked in any direction, not caring where they ended up.

"Thank you so much." Rei said to his boss at the little restaurant.

"Not a problem. After all, this is your mother we're talking about. Come back as soon as you're able to."

"Thank you again." Rei bowed before leaving. He didn't want to lie to his boss, or friends, but this was supposed to be a secret. Though to atone for his boss, he left him a note that told of the real reason and what to tell to Kai if he ever came by. He knew that Krypton might not be able to keep it for long. He got his things and headed towards the airport. He didn't even tell Mr. Dickenson so that way they couldn't find him so easily. He even wore different clothing that he borrowed from one of the other workers incase Kenny is able to find him through the cameras. He went to sleep, knowing that it wasn't that long until they reached Hong Kong.

"Kai, do you know where Rei is?" Tyson asked, noticing that Rei didn't show up at their usual meeting spot.

"Only last night."

"Too bad we don't know where he's staying."

"Look alive boys." Jade said then looked around, "Where's Rei?"

"He hasn't come yet."

"Does anyone know where he's staying? Mr. Dickenson never gave that to me."

"We might as well look around. He's not a too familiar with the area and could've gotten lost." Kai offered but Jade could tell that he knew where he lived.

"That's right. We better look around. Meet back here in two hours." Tyson said as Max, Kenny and him headed in any direction.

"Does Rei not want the others to know?" Jade asked.

"I just don't want the others to think that Rei's poor or something." He walked in a different direction than the others.

"Why would they think that?" Jade was walking beside him.

"Mr. Dickenson got him a room in a rundown inn."

"Oh. But couldn't you tell them that Mr. Dickenson got him it?"

"Rei knows what time to get here. Obviously there's a reason for him not showing up."

"You think he's sick?"

"I know the perfect way of finding out."

"Then how will you explain it to your friends?"

"I'll think up something."

They reached the area of old buildings waiting for their lives to end. "I didn't even know that there were places like these still standing." Jade said with amazement.

"You've never been here before?"

"No… If I ever did, I don't remember." She wrapped her arms around Kai's arm.

"Then I'll show you some time." They walked into it.

"You know this area?"

"I'll say that it's familiar to me."

"Why did you have to know about this place?"

He searched his memories and discovered that he doesn't remember why anymore. It seemed to be too long ago and everything around then was fading away. "Here we are."

"But that's a restaurant."

"This is where Rei's works. They should know what happened to him." They stepped inside and found it to not be too busy. Kai spotted Rei's boss and went up to him, "Do you know where Rei is?"

He looked up at him, "Rei? Oh yes. He told me that Mr. Dickenson wanted him to go somewhere. I was only half listening since we were really busy this morning and that's when he left."

"Do you know why he wouldn't tell us?"

"He told me that he called him this morning. I guess he didn't have time to get hold of any of you."

"Thanks." They walked out.

"That can't be true. Mr. Dickenson would've at least told us about him leaving."

"Even if he called in the morning?"

"Yes, he would've came over and told us that Rei wasn't going to be here for a while."

"Then I'll tell the others to call him to see what he has to say."

They waited for the others.

"What's taking you guys so damn long… Where is everyone else?" They looked behind them to see that Krypton wasn't in a happy mood right now.

"Oops. Sorry Krypton for not getting you but Rei is missing."

"Missing? Have you found him?"

"No but we're waiting for the others so we can call Mr. Dickenson to see if he knows anything."

"That means you guys didn't find anything either." Kenny said. Everyone else was with him and they looked worried that they didn't know where their friend was.

"Don't you remember Jade that he told us that he's going to be at a meeting with the other sponsors of the other teams for the Australian Tournament. Unless he was in his room or something like that, there's no way of contacting him."

"Oh yea… That's right."

"There's still that chance." Tyson said and ran in what seemed to be in any direction. Everyone followed, knowing that he's going to a pay phone to call him. "Hello, is Mr. Dickenson there………………………………………… Mr. D, this is Tyson. I was wondering if you knew where Rei is. We can't seem to find him…………………………………………… Thanks Mr. D but where does he………………." Tyson hanged up the phone.

"Well?" Max asked impatiently.

"He said that we have to find where he works since he's not answering his apartment phone. Though he didn't give me the place where he works."

"Jade and I went there and he told us that Mr. Dickenson sent him somewhere this morning."

"You know where he works?" Kai didn't answer.

"Then that means that he told his boss a lie if Mr. Dickenson didn't even know." Max analyzed.

"Why wouldn't he want us to know where he went?" Tyson asked more to himself.

"Maybe it's a pact that he made with someone." Jade looked at her brother. He held a question on his face since everyone was looking at him.

"What?"

"You talked to Rei yesterday. You most likely wanted him to do something for you and you wanted it to be a secret. Rei's story of you helping him wasn't that convincing since I know that you would've shown him during training. So what was the pact?"

"I didn't have a pact with Rei."

She brought something out and moved closer so the others wouldn't see it, "Tell me."

Her hand was open and Krypton was eyeing something that he wanted to have more than anything else, though he was fighting it really hard.

"Sister, I told you that I didn't make a pact with Rei. I don't know where he went." He didn't look at her but the item in her hand.

She moved it in front of her and Krypton looked horrified by what she was doing to it. "Really?"

He was trying to keep his breathing under control but it was obvious that he wanted her to stop the torture that she was somehow unleashing. "Fine. I wanted him to train himself but he didn't even tell me where he was going."

"This training is for?" He whispered something in her ear. She said something to him in a whisper and he nodded. She looked at the ground beside her before walking back to them. Krypton seemed happy about something though Jade wasn't.

"What's wrong?" Kai asked as she walked into his arms.

"Rei's fine though just be prepare for a long wait. Krypton sent him to train to be ready for something that's only our problem but he's worried about your safety as well. Rei willing went for this training." Kai could tell that she was sad about something that she didn't want to tell them. Krypton now had a sad face though it wasn't for the situation; it was for how his sister looked.

"We'll continue tomorrow." Krypton said before walking away.

Everyone was mad that Rei didn't tell him what he was planning.

"Is there something that you don't want to tell the others?" Kai whispered once the others were gone.

"Not now. I don't want to mention it right now." Kai held her tighter, understanding that whatever Krypton sent Rei to train for was something that she didn't want to involve them.

Rei stepped out of the airport and walked over to where he once worked. He asked for an hour's pay since he needed some money. Though he was willing to work that hour, they gave him the money and he headed towards the mountains where his clan, the White Tigers, dwell. He wasn't gone long but he knows all too well the feeling of being home once again.

The train couldn't take him all the way but it did save him time. He figured that, by now the others would've noticed him missing and found out that they couldn't find him. He would think of something to say to them as soon as he was done with his training. He walked up the trail that led to his village.

When he reached the top of the hill that over looked his village, he remembered what happened as he was recovering. A fellow clan kinsman had come back from a world trip that she took with other people from other countries. She told them that she also fell in love with a Japanese around her age and that she hoped to be with him one day. Though he knows that she can't see the physical like everyone else, she knows the good and bad of everyone since she sees the spiritual. All the adults knew that she was blind since birth but couldn't figure out how she was able to see everything. Their shaman told them that she could see the spirit in everything. Of course, it took her a while as she grew up that what she saw was spirit and not physical. She told them that they discovered her ability with magic when they visited her home in Aksu.

That reminded Rei that a lot of their kinsmen were moving to different parts of China to start over and to make a living or make a name for themselves. The reason why they left was because they wanted to help people in a different area. Their shaman taught her mother many spells, so they say, and she wanted to help others. Of course Rei promised that he would come up to visit them some day since he hasn't seen her little brother since they left and she still had many things to tell him. The others weren't really interested in what she had to say so that's why only Rei promised.

Once he was done with memory lane, he went down the path and couldn't wait to see his old teammates.

":Rei:" Mariah said and ran over to hug him.

":It's good to see you too Mariah.:"

"What brings you back? I thought you were sent to train with your team?" Kevin asked as the rest came up.

"Well, one of my trainers wanted me to get stronger and I thought that this is the best place for that."

"I bet you got homesick." Lee joked.

"If that were the case then I wouldn't have to lie to my teammates."

"What!" They were all surprised by Rei's words, knowing that he doesn't really lie to anyone.

"Why did you do that?" Mariah asked after a long silence.

"He wants me to be a bodyguard for Kai and his new girlfriend."

"Kai is able to have a girlfriend?" Lee asked. They all remembered what happened at the World Tournament and they still don't like him for it.

"Yes, he's cable of having one."

"Anyway we can help?"

"Good, I was wondering when you would offer." They walked into the village.

"I see." Rei was facing their shaman in his hut. Rei could sense the mystical knowledge that lingered around.

"Could you advise me in my next step?"

"This training will take you far more than what is needed now but it'll be needed. I'll prepare your opponents but now, rest with your friends. Tomorrow is when you'll begin."

Rei bowed and walked outside.

"What did he say?" Kevin asked.

"My training starts tomorrow. So, let's have something fun."

"Let's race to the tree." Mariah said with a smile before heading off.

They all followed after her, each trying to get there first. Of course, Lee and Rei tied by placing their hands on the tree at the same time. Everyone was breathing hard before laughing. They always tried hard to make sure they win but only Lee and Rei ever do. This was the time that Rei noticed how Mariah had smiled. It reminded him of how Jade smiles whenever she sees Kai and he's looking at her at that same moment. He didn't understand why they ever thought he would like Jade the same way.

"Why don't you tell us what's up with the BladeBreakers?" Kevin asked.

"There isn't much to tell you guys. We've been training hard by two unknown Bladers named Jade and Krypton."

"Are they any good?" Lee asked.

"They're really good. They use the old style blades."

"You mean like the ones we have?" Mariah asked.

"I think so. Also, it seems like Krypton is able to handle Dark Dranzer."

"I thought that Bit Beast was destroyed."

"Apparently Kai kept it when his Grandfather offered it again."

"Why didn't you take it away?" Gary asked.

"You know how dangerous that Bit Beast is." Lee said with anger.

"Krypton understands the power of it but something is drawing him to it. Kai is still drawn to it but he doesn't care about it. So now he's keeping it."

"It would be best if that Bit Beast was destroyed." Mariah said, looking at her own Bit Beast.

"Then something else would take its place. I wouldn't worry about the fate of that Bit Beast."

"Does this Krypton have a Bit Beast?" Lee asked.

"He does and it's a dark horse."

"Then why does he even consider having Dark Dranzer?"

"I'll ask him that when I get back and mail you the answer."

"Are they training you for that tournament?" Kevin asked.

"Yea."

"Have you heard anything about that new team?" Mariah asked.

"Yea, the team is made out of people from other countries and they're a five member team. They're also sponsored by the president of this game company called Kaiba Corp."

"Wow. Isn't that the company that makes the special dishes?"

"Yea."

"He probably got bored with watching so he decided to make his own team." Lee said.

"They did grow along with the BladeBreakers but in a different way."

"What are you talking about?"

"They were formed about the same time the BladeBreakers were formed and they've been around for as long."

"Then why didn't they enter in the World Tournament?" Kevin asked.

"They weren't ready. At least that's what the president thought. They're really strong since the president has a lot of equipment to supply them with enough experience to be ready for anything. It also sounds like Mr. Dickenson considers this guy a personal rival."

"What makes you think that?" Lee asked.

"Just by the way he wants us to beat the other team."

"They must have some kind of history." Mariah was imagining what that could be.

"I'm sure it's nothing that's really important. If I have a chance to talk to the team then I'll ask them."

"Yea, hopefully they know. So how did you get out of Japan? I thought that Mr. Dickenson got you a job."

"He did and I told him the reason why I have to come here and to tell my friends something that wouldn't allow them to know where I am. The only one that knows I'm here is my boss."

"It's that top secret?" Lee asked.

"That's what I got from it."

"Then should we not know?"

"I wanted you guys to know. Besides, I know that there's no harm in letting you guys help me train."

"Shouldn't Krypton know that you're here?" Kevin asked.

"He didn't ask me to tell him so I didn't."

"So you're like a spy now." Mariah said.

"I guess so." Rei said with a smile.

"Well, we might as well get some practice in. Want to join?" Lee offered.

"Like you have to ask." They all got up and walked over to the dish tree that they made. It was there ever since they could remember and they loved it.

Lee and Rei went first. Rei was wondering what improvements he had made under the instructions of Jade and Krypton. He knew that it might be an unfair battle for Lee but he really did want to know.

"Three… two… one… Let it Rip!" They said together and let loose their blades. Rei noticed how fast his blade was going. Though he was trying to make it slow down for Lee, it was still fast. Rei had to toy with Lee to make the battle interesting. Lee could tell that Rei was holding back and that he was now in a different league, he was imagining how strong Jade and Krypton were to bring this out in him. There was no doubt in their minds that they're now stronger than when the World Tournament ended and under the same training and they'll continue getting stronger. So it was no surprise that Driger knocked out Galeon.

"I can see that they have helped you out more than any training you have gone through before." Lee said.

"I wonder if the others are wondering the point of this training."

"We might as well practice." Mariah said. The others launched their blades in the dish and practiced with each other. Rei was pointing out things he noticed and they were also improving slowly. Rei didn't want them to battle him since he thought it took out the joy of blading since he was holding back.

The next morning, he woke up early and waited outside of the shaman's hut. The sun was already in the sky when the shaman stepped out. "They are ready."

Rei got up and followed him down a path that no one was supposed to go down.

"Shaman, can we come along?" Lee asked. Rei turned around to see all his friends there, eagerly waiting for the answer.

"You may watch."

"Thank you." They followed as well.

He led them along a curvy path, deep within the forest. The place seemed to be alive with energy that flows through everything as a river. One of the great fighters in their village was here.

"Rei, you've grown since the last I saw you." He said with a smile.

"I thought you went to discover the world?" He was Rei's first teacher when he wanted to learn how to fight.

"Thought I'll rest for a bit before continuing."

"Your training begins." The shaman said and Rei was happy to get more training by his old teacher. The others watched throughout the days that he trained with him. Lee and them were asked to think up new attacks that Driger could use so they were.

Once he was done with his lessons, Rei had a few days to relax.

"Would you like us to show you want we thought up?" Mariah asked.

"What do you mean?"

"We were asked to think up new attacks for Driger." Lee explained.

"Sure."

They demonstrated the new attack patterns with their own blades. Rei mimicked them with his own blade and figured out ways to improve them for his own blade. Though he didn't have enough rest before his next training, he was glad that his friends were helping in any way they thought they could.

"Now, you must learn stealth." The shaman said as Rei met someone he never knew. "This is a well-known ninja."

"Hello." Rei said with a little bow.

"I'll leave you two alone." The shaman left.

":You know Japanese:" He asked with struggle.

"+Yes.+"

"+Good. I don't know this tribe's language that well.+"

"That's ok. It's not one of the easiest one to learn. I understand many tribes' languages."

"My, aren't we the scholar? Let's get on this stealth training. Why do you want to know this art?"

"Our shaman suggests what I need to train in and I train with the person. I don't need to master them to perfection but I need to understand it so I can improve more."

"I see… There has to be a reason as to why you feel like you need to learn this."

"I was asked to be a protector for a friend and his girlfriend."

"Who ask this of you?"

"The girlfriend's brother."

"And he feels that you're the only one that can protect them?"

"He's also training himself for this task."

"At least you're not the only one… Ok, let's begin the training."

The ninja taught all the tricks of being stealthy. He was surprised of how he was able to endure the training that he tried a special training for his elite students and he was still passing. So he didn't stop training him when he got the idea of the training.

"What's taking him so long!" Tyson said with frustration. They were hanging at the park since no one could really concentrate so they were just wasting the days. Jade tried to get them to train but even Kai was only half into it.

"I'm sure whatever he's doing is for the good of the team." Kenny said.

Jade leaned onto Kai. He knew that she knew but she still wasn't willing to talk about it. So he just held her and hoped that their teammate was ok.

"Jade, doesn't Krypton know what's going on?" Max asked. Very now and then, they would ask Jade.

"He knows what he trying to do but he's not sure where or how."

"Didn't he tell you?" Tyson asked.

"Only the minimum."

"You haven't been the same since then." She looked at the ground. "Say something!" Tyson was just frustrated that he didn't know what was going on.

"Tyson." Kai said in his firm voice and Tyson looked away. Everyone knew that Jade would most likely tell him if she could. She had explained that he left on the request of her brother and it was to help them, though she never wanted to say why they needed the help and why Rei. Why not one of the others or Kai but she couldn't answer, saying that she doesn't know but she'll find out as soon as possible.

"By the way, why hasn't Krypton come by?" Max asked.

"He said that he's busy with something." Jade answered.

"Ever thought that he has Rei?" Tyson said but not in a light tone.

"I have a way to make sure that he tells me and he said that Rei left somewhere and didn't tell him. Maybe you guys have an idea where he would go?" She held hope in her voice.

"I guess it depends on what you guys need help in." Max said.

She took Kai's hand with her left, debating on whether to tell. Kai squeezed her hand, letting her know that he was with her. "I'm sorry about this. This is our problem and I don't understand why Krypton would do something like this. We have so many other people that he could've pick." She squeezed his hand more and wished that this would all go away, but only Kai knew that.

"Then why not tell him that?" Tyson asked.

"He leaves as soon as I wake up. I don't even see him until I wake up." Her face was giving off a different message then her words. Her face told them that she wasn't angry but Kai knew this all too well. He knew that she was scared, sad and wanted things to be better.

Tyson just left so not to get in some kind of argument with Kai.

"Tyson is just worried." Kenny said as he got up and followed him.

"Maybe he's on his way back." Max said to give comfort before leaving.

Jade buried her head in Kai's chest. If she was someone else, she would've released tears but she was stronger than that. "I'm so sorry Kai. I didn't know that he would now worry about it."

"It's not your fault." He held her tighter; the others couldn't read her like he could. She was broken by this, maybe even more than the others were. He didn't know why she was but it must be the reason as to why Krypton wanted Rei to go away and not tell anyone.

"If only we pressed Rei harder on what my brother talk to him about." She wrapped her arms around his waist and he used both hands to comfort her in the best he could.

"We thought it was something small." He hoped, for Jade's sake, that Rei wasn't hurt.

":You're working hard.:" Lee said when Rei got out of his ninja training.

":That's why they're giving me a few days.:"

"I heard that he trained you in something that they were going to give it to someone else." Mariah said.

"What was that?" Kevin asked, looking at Mariah.

"The usage of weapons."

"He did teach me how to use some but only the ones that ninja use." Rei explained.

"Then maybe they're looking for ones that he didn't train you in." Lee offered.

"Well, thought of anything else?"

"We'll let you rest a day before giving you more." Mariah said.

Rei allowed this feeling to overwhelm him. He was more than happy to be back home and with his friends. He almost didn't want this feeling to end but he knew that he was only here because he was needed. But right now, he was allowing this to take him away.

After a few days of rest and practice with his friends, Rei went back to the path beyond the shaman's hut. He was waiting there with another great fighter from their village but Rei never had the honor of meeting her.

" Hello Rei. :It's nice to see you again.:" She said with a smile. She went to America to test her skills that she formed on her own with others.

":It's nice to see you too.:"

"Well, we have to get training. I hope that you don't have a time limit."

"No, I can take as long as I need."

"Ok, let's get to work." The shaman left and they got to work.

This training was different since he had to fight her to learn what was what. He fought with all the knowledge he gain and any weapon that he could grab. She was doing the same but with a lot more style.

"You're really good." She said when they took a lunch break. Rei wasn't allowed to leave the area until he was done but his friends were allowed to come in whenever they wanted.

"Thanks."

"Here's your lunch." Mariah said as she was coming down the path.

"Thanks Mariah." Rei took his so she didn't have to carry too much.

"Thank you. So, are you youngsters still into blading?" She asked with a like humor.

"Of course." Mariah answered.

"I remember when I was practicing that game day and night until I was perfect."

"Were you ever perfect?"

"I was second best in our little group. Of course it wasn't as big as it is now so we never knew how good we were with the rest of the world."

"What made you quit?" Rei asked.

"I thought that I should do something else with my life. Well, at least you're one of the top bladers in the world."

"Do you think there's a place in the adult world for Beyblading?"

"Other than with making of the dishes, stadiums, and blades."

"What about setting up a training place?" Mariah asked.

"I'm positive that something will change or it will phase out. Something will happen so don't worry about it. Well, let's get back to training."

"Right." Mariah took away the plates and they went back to training.

After a few more days of training, he was resting in his hut to rest his body. He slept like this for two days.

"It's about time you woke up." Mariah said with a smile.

"What time is it?" He asked with a sleepy voice.

"You should be asking what day it is." Lee said.

"You've slept for two days since you got back from training." Kevin said.

"Two days? How many days do I have left?"

"Five more days." Lee said.

"Any more training from you?" He asked as he got up.

"Nah, we're done. But we do have something else that you can do."

"Huh? What?"

"Do you want a new change for your new power?" Mariah asked.

"Huh?" He didn't understand what they were hinting at so Mariah grabbed him and dragged him over do some famous weavers in their village.

Mariah explained that the man dress that Rei was wearing had to be sleeveless and with the yin-yang on his back and headband, the white has to be green border and flame looking.

"Why change?" Though Rei wasn't against it since it could cover his tracks a bit.

"We thought that you should get something more from your new role. But you have to find out what their Bit Beast are since we want those as well."

"Want?"

"Yea, we have more ideas but we can't put them in motion since we don't know what they look like."

"What are those?"

"Your undershirt will have the BladeBreakers, White Tigers, and their Bit Beast on them; and, if you want it, a tattoo of their Bit Beast, yours and Kai's."

"A tattoo? May I ask why?"

"It's not going to be a normal tattoo. Here." She handed him a paper and he unfolded it.

He saw that it was a very rough sketch of what the tattoo was. It showed that Dranzer and, what was labeled as Kai's girl, Jade's Bit Beast were at the top of the paper; his and, labeled brother, Krypton's Bit Beast were at the bottom. The rough horse and drawing of Driger encircled Dranzer and the spot where Jade's Bit Beast would be protectively. He could tell that they haven't decided on what Dranzer and Jade's Bit should do.

"You guys would like this on my back?"

"Do you not like it?"

"I'm surprise I'm even thinking about having this on my back. Ok, I'll get those pictures for you."

"Thanks Rei." Mariah said with a smile.

In about four days, they showed Rei that they made several man dresses for him incase something happened to one. Rei thanked them for their work and took them with gratitude. Of course, the undershirt was still waiting to be made but that was ok since he needed the image anyway. On the next day, some local mystics were training Rei in their ways since they thought that it would be helpful to him later on. Once he got a handle on that, he handed Driger piece into the shaman so he could increase his power.

"I hope you're not jealous, Lee." Rei looked at his best friend.

"Of course not. You're here for a mission and I know that you'll go far. Just bring this tribe pride." He said with his hand up. Rei smiled and took it. They didn't have to wait long for the shaman to come back.

"It has been done." He handed back Driger to him.

"Thank you, great shaman."

He bowed a bit before heading back into his hut.

"What are you going to do now?" Kevin asked.

"Go back and see if Krypton wants me to do anymore."

"But you had done more than enough." Mariah said.

"I don't know what he wants me to do so I have to go and ask him. Count on me coming back if I need anything else." He said with a thumb up.

"Right." Mariah said with a smile.

Everyone was doing something different but Kai and Jade were together. Jade wasn't really happy and Kai didn't know a way to help her. But today he had the feeling that someone was watching them.

"Something wrong Kai? You're more quiet than usual right now." He looked down at her in his arms.

"It's nothing."

She showed that she wasn't biting. "I've lived with my brother long enough to know when you're thinking or concentrating on something."

"I feel like someone is following us." He whispered into her ear.

"Have an idea where?" She whispered back but they were making it seem like they were talking about each other or something.

"No. You don't feel it?"

"I'm not as sensitive as you or my brother. What you think we should do?"

"Keep walking. Maybe we'll find out who's following and how."

"Right." They went along their way but they couldn't see who was following them. They even went onto open roads but the person was still masking himself.

"We'll separate. I'll be safe at my place." Jade could read on his face that he was starting to worry about the person that was following them.

"I'll walk you over." He didn't want her to be left alone without at least someone protecting her.

"See you tomorrow." Jade kissed him before going into the building. Kai looked around to see who was following them but he couldn't locate him. Once looking carefully around by standing there, he went on his way. Not sensing the person anymore.

"Why did Jade turn in so early?" Krypton asked on top of the roof of the building. Someone came to him to let him know.

"We don't know. She didn't want to tell us but did say to inform you about it."

"Something must've scared her. Find Kai and ask him…"

"There's not need for it." They turned around to see Rei smiling on the edge.

"Where have you been and how did you find this place?" Krypton asked.

"I'm sorry." Rei said with a smile, "I was the one that scared Kai and Jade."

Krypton could tell that there was something different about Rei and he knew it's not his outfit. "Are you done?"

"I want to know what you think before I do anything else."

"So, you've trained yourself as well as Driger?"

"Of course. I wouldn't have come back if I didn't."

"Ok, it would be too easy for you to tell me so…" He took out the small rod from its case and held it in front of, parallel to the ground, "Let me see what you gain."

He smiled like he was hoping for this or something. He got into an offensive stance but Krypton was surprised that he didn't move from the edge. But that would be his mistake.

The rod in Krypton's hand extended and at the end, there was a sharp point. He twirled it around in one hand before using it in a stance. They stared each other for a while but Krypton couldn't read him. Krypton launched at him but Rei moved to his left and stopped him from falling off the edge. Then their battle started.

Rei was matching him move for move but adding style. Krypton could tell that he was better than him and he didn't really like the feeling but he would allow it for now. Then, like from nowhere, he brought out a staff and started to fight him with it. With every clash, Krypton knew that he didn't stand a chance against him and he now knew where to improve. When they jumped away from each other, Krypton got out of the stance.

"Great job. Now let's see what Driger knows."

Rei twirled his staff and it disappeared. "Sure." He got out his blade and launcher the same mysterious way that he did with his staff.

Krypton brought out his and they got ready.

"Three… Two… One… Let it Rip!" One of other people said and they launched their blades.

They went after each other and Krypton could tell that he had improved in power and a few techniques but he still needed to learn the weak points, though he wasn't going to let him know that now and he was thinking about how to do so without his sister thinking. He called back his blade and Rei did the same.

"Good. You've improved greatly and impressively too. All you have to do now is hide this from everyone. They might notice and I don't want them to. Jade already knows why you're training but she hasn't told anyone about it. When you come back, and don't tell me where you've gone or where you're going, let me know first so you know what not to reveal."

"Right. But why don't you want to know?"

"If I know then Jade will find out. Everyone's been worried about you."

"Then you can let them know that I'm fine and I'll return as soon as I can from this."

"But I have to tell that I got it a different way then you telling me."

"Got paper and pen?"

"Bring it to him." He looked at them and one ran to get it. He brought it to Rei. Rei wrote something on it and handed it to Krypton. Krypton couldn't read it at all.

"Tell them that's from me."

"Can anyone read this?"

"Oops… Sorry, I can't write in Japanese."

"That's ok. You better get going."

"Before I do, may I see your Bit Beast and Jade's?"

Krypton showed him his Bit Beast without thought. It was the same dark horse that was fighting Dranzer. "Jade is the same but the hooves are grey, pale mane and tail, and everything else is white."

"May I see it?"

Krypton led Rei down into the building where they slept. Jade was looking so peaceful as she did. Krypton got something from her and let Rei look at the image on the blade. It was how he described it and both horses have the same body type. Rei hand it back. "What are their names?"

"Mine is Uni Yami and Jade is Uni Hikari."

"Thanks. See you later." He walked out. He stopped by his job to let him know that he was ok. He also let him know what's going on so he didn't worry. His boss promised not to tell anyone about this and wished him good luck on his training. He left to go back to China.

Well… That was interesting. I wondered what Jade and Krypton fear?... Maybe I should know… I'm pretty sure that I know but I don't remember… Oh well, what will Rei do in China? How will he hide his new power and will he get that tattoo? I guess you'll just have to read and find out. Will the other ever know what's going on? Most like not… Well, hopefully you losers that don't read my intro read this. As for those that read both, thank you and hope you'll tune in to the next exciting chapter of _BLADEBREAKERS……_ I not sure what to call this whole thing… I guess I have to think of that some time… Well, honana!


	6. Chap 6 Tiger of the BladeBreakers

Hello! I hope that now everyone is reading this. I know that I wasn't nice in calling you guys losers but… I got mad… I had to say something to express my anger… Anyway, I'm not totally over it but then again… I guess I can live with the fact that some people are rude and not read this section… Though it's not long. Not long at all, as a matter of fact you could read these and have an idea on what's going on… It's not as long as the story so it's a lot more enjoyable… Well… I know that you all came for the story so here it is… I hope you'll read these though… Please?

":Rei:" Mariah called to Rei when he was walking towards the hill before his village. They all ran down to greet him.

"Hi guys. Krypton said that I have to hide my new talents." Rei said once Mariah was around his neck.

"How are you going to hide them?" Lee asked.

"I'm not really sure but I know that I'll find the answer here."

"Did you get the descriptions?" Mariah asked.

"I even got their names."

"Then I guess the next question is, are you ready?" Kevin asked as they led him to get his tattoo. The man did ritual tattoos so Rei now understood why Mariah told him that it wouldn't be ordinary. Rei drew it, to the best of his ability, the two horses with their coloring.

The other boys went to let the shaman know that Rei's back and to ask for a way to hide his new powers. Mariah stayed with him as he got the tattoo. It hurt just as much as another tattoo but Rei could feel the magic seeping into his body as he did so, that made him feel better about it. After about six hours of this, he was done but he had to rest for three hours before moving around.

"So how did it go?" Rei asked when they entered his hut.

"They said that you'd have to go to Wu. Her mother is one of the experts."

"That's good. I wanted to visit her anyway."

"Then you'll have to go later. We still need to get you your undershirt." Mariah said.

"What does it look like?" Kevin asked as he moved to the other side of Rei.

"He said that it wouldn't appear until he rested for three hours."

"Then shouldn't we be out of here?" Grey asked.

"He meant resting his body."

"Though sleep doesn't sound too bad." Rei offered.

"Ok, see you when you're awake then." They all left the hut.

Rei finally took in the smell of his village. Nothing seemed to have change since he got Driger but he knew that something had to have happened. He allowed the trip to close his eyes for some sleep.

"Krypton, why are you here?" Tyson asked as him and Jade were walking towards them. They always meet to see if they heard anything from Rei.

"He said that he has something important to show you. Well?" Jade was also annoyed at him but he brushed all that away.

He brought out a piece of paper and handed it to Tyson, "I think it's from Rei but I can't read it."

That made him opened it faster. They all could tell that it was Rei's handwriting but they couldn't really read it. Jade took it and looked at it for a few seconds, "He's fine. He'll be back once he's done with a secret project… Did you send him on a secret project?" She still looked annoyed at her brother.

"Why would I? Anyway, there you go." Krypton walked away.

"How could you read this?" Max asked.

"My mom taught me."

"I guess we better get training then. After all, I'm sure that Rei's not going on a vacation." Tyson said and they all went to a site to practice.

"You really think I need this much just to go visit her?" Rei asked as Mariah was packing his things into a big backpack.

"Anything could happen on your way."

"I have been traveling for a good while now." Rei only got two hours of sleep since he wasn't as tried as he thought. It wasn't three hours yet so Mariah thought she should help.

"Oh, they're almost done with the undershirt."

"But it took them four days the other time."

"This time they started to make it and are now adding in the details."

"That's cool."

"Rei, you're leaving at six." Lee said as they came in.

"That gives you about an hour to make it to the train station." Kevin added.

"Couldn't they give him a later ticket?" Mariah asked.

"That's the only time a train leaves towards that direction. They've also collected a good about of money for your trip." Lee placed it in his bag.

"Thanks."

"Time's up." Grey said.

Rei got up and Mariah bought over a mirror for him to look at. The art was beautifully done and the colors were shining even in the dark.

"Wow." Kevin said as they all got a good look at it.

"Well you better get going or you'll miss it. Here's your ticket." Lee said as he got his cloths on.

"Thanks guys, I'll be back before I leave again." He grabbed the ticket and bag before leaving the hut.

Though he thought that it was a bit too much stuff that Mariah packed, he was glad that she packed it. He knew that without his training that he wouldn't have made it, though he did barely. Once on the train, he fixed his outfit a lot better. The blue that ties his outfit together were shorter than before; his red belt wasn't as long but he still managed to wrap it around his waist; the thin, long pieces in the front and back were a bit longer than before; and there wasn't any gold rim on his sleeves. His undershirt's picture was awesome since they used freshly made silk. He was just wondering how he was going to wash these but he was going to return before going to Japan so he could ask them then.

At the last stop, Rei went to get a ticket to Aksu and get something to eat. He didn't order anything big since he knew that her mother would make a big meal once he got there. Plus, he was told to not eat too much or he'll slow down. As he was making his way to the train, he spotted a portal camera so he bought one. He knew that he didn't really know how to get the pictures from it but maybe one of his other friends would.

After two more days of traveling, he finally reached Aksu. He looked at the address to see that Wu lived on the outer part of the town. As he walked over to her house, he wondered if she still contacted her other friends that she made on that trip. It didn't take him long before he found it.

"Heeeya!" Her little brother yelled as he attempted to kick Rei in the leg as he opened the door. Rei stopped his attack by grabbing his foot.

":I've seen that you've been practicing.:" Rei said with a smile.

":Rei, glad that you could come.:" Rei looked up to see Wu smiling.

"Glad that I found a way to come here."

"Mother made a fest!" Wong said as he dragged him into the house.

"Sit down and have something to eat." Their mother said as Rei looked at what's on the table. Everything that you could think of, in Chinese food, was there.

"Thank you so very much." Rei bowed before starting to eat.

It was a lot of fun since he was still with family. Wong was talking most of the time about anything that came into his head. He even talked about when he met Wu's friends. Though he mostly talked about the American that was with them but Rei could tell that Wu wasn't thinking about him. Once dinner was done, he followed Wu outside to talk.

"Have you been able to talk to your Japanese friend?" Rei asked as they sat down.

"Yes." Her eyes closed, remembering what he looks like.

"By the way, you were going to tell me why you have so many cuts on you."

Her hand went to her chest as she opened her eyes. Rei knew that she was strong since she saw many things that most people only feel. "I was attacked on the trip."

"And they didn't help you?"

"They did… I'm not even sure how they knew I was in trouble but they knew. He was the first person I saw when I was being rescued."

"I'm sorry to hear that. They look deep."

"My Egyptian friend gave me something to heal the wounds when I first got them. How are you able to travel if this is a secret?"

"Since I'm apart of the World Champion team, we're able to travel and have the BBA pay for it. Man, I hope they don't think about looking up where I've been through that." Rei remembered that that's how he got from Japan to China and back again.

"Don't worry about it. I'm sure that you're secret will be a secret. It looks like Driger and you have gotten stronger."

"Yea, I need to protect my leader and his girlfriend."

"You mean the one with the phoenix?"

"Yea." He almost forgot that he told her the animal spirits they might have.

"I think you'll succeed."

"Thanks. Oh, the reason why I came here was so I can hide my new powers. Have any idea on how I can do that?"

"I think I do. You'll have it within a few days if that's ok."

"That only gives me a few more days to stay here longer."

"Right." They went back inside and went to bed.

The next day, Wu was teaching him how to summon Driger out of his blade so them two could fuse together. Rei was having a hard time getting Driger into him but once he did, he felt all the power that Driger has. He trained with this power so he could become more familiar with it when he needs it.

A few days later, Wong was running back from town with a package.

"Wu, Wu, it's a package from Yoma!"

"Thank you." She smiled with overwhelming joy. Wong handed it to her and went back inside.

"That's his name?"

"Yes. He said that he would like to meet you." She said as she opened the package. It wasn't too big so Rei knew that it contained something small in it. She held a small necklace with a silver good luck cat on it. There seemed to be hollow since you could see the back through the whole in its stomach. "You'll have to open this to get the pearl." She tossed the clam to him.

"Why?"

"The color will tell you your success in, though that's not what I'll use it for."

Rei started to open it but was finding that hard to do. After a while, he just wanted to force it open but was going to wait until it did. Once he got it opened, he cleaned it and handed it to Wu without looking at the color.

"The color says wisdom." She said with a smile as she was filling it.

"What are you going to do with it?"

"I'm going to transfer yours and Driger's new powers into it." She said as she sat down.

"Let me guess, bring out Driger?"

"At least his Beyblade."

"Right." Rei did so and held it out in front of him. Wu started to chant and Rei could feel that his new power in the mystic arts, as well as some of his fighting skills, were being pulled out of him. Once a good amount of his fighting skills were taken out and placed into the pearl, she stopped chanting.

"How do you feel?"

"A bit weaker than before."

"You're able to access your knowledge of the skills but not the power."

"Explain on that."

"Okay, say that you needed a move that you learned on this training. You could get access it from the pearl but only a small amount of it. As for your ninja skills, you might want to have a refreshing course. I put all of that in the pearl."

"Why? Wouldn't that mean that I'll have to put that in the pearl as well?"

"I mean just to remember since you could use some of it. I know that you were never a ninja so it would be odd to see you like that. I know that it could come in handy and you'll be able to know what you think of Yoma."

"He's a ninja?"

"Yep. Just mail me something about your opinion."

"But shouldn't it not matter what I think?"

"I'm just wondering."

"Okay, I will."

"Thanks. Oh, this will also contain a new tiger for you to tame. You'll have to think up a name for it since he'll need you to use your body. He'll have all of yours power when he enters you and all of Driger's when he enters him."

"Thanks."

"I guess that means that you'll have to leave now."

"Right. Tell him that I'll be there soon."

She nodded her head. Rei went inside to let them know that he was leaving. Her mother hugged him and Wong was crying since he was leaving then he ran to grab his train. He put the necklace on and it felt like it was happy to be there. He couldn't think up a name but he figured he'll let Yoma name it since he sent this to her. Rei could tell, by the way she looked, that she cared about all of them deeply but Bastetka and Yoma held a greater bond with her than the others. Of course, by the way that Wong was talking, Eric seemed to want Wu's affection.

As he was there, Wu told him about her trip around the world. Rei knew that they were friends about when they first met and Wu fell for Yoma as soon as she woke up. She gave him the pro-type that they used to talk in English and explained how to use it. The color of his was black to match his hair. At the end of her story, she told him that she now understood why they went through all of that.

They visited mystical lands that everyone wanted to visit, including herself. A legend that was in the land that they were visiting, though she didn't know that until the others told her about the legends of their land and how similar it was to their own adventure. She also discovered that they were the Eight Immortals of Tao. She hasn't told anyone that so Rei said that he'd first tell Yoma for her.

"She gave you that?" Mariah asked with a hint of jealously in her voice.

"It contains all that Driger and I learned. She already has someone she loves."

"Who?" Lee asked.

"A Japanese Ninja."

"What's his name?" Mariah asked.

"Yoma."

"How long are you going to stay?" Kevin asked.

"Two days. My plane doesn't leave until then."

"Great. Let's have some fun." Mariah pulled him to follow.

During those two days, Rei was playing a lot of local games of his youth. Rei almost forgot how to play them since he hadn't for so long.

"How long does Rei have to stay away!" Tyson said in frustration. They were all glad to have heard something from him but it's been way too long since they heard from him.

"Maybe he's coming back?" Max offered.

"What do you think Jade?" Kenny looked over at her in Kai's arms.

"I really don't know. But I would like to know how he's traveling when he doesn't have a lot of money for a plane ticket."

"You do bring up a good point." Kenny opened his laptop.

"It's about time." Dizzy said.

"Sorry about that. Could you tell me a way that Rei might take to travel?"

"Hold on."

"What makes you think that he's not in Japan?" Tyson asked.

"Does he know Japan? No. He knows China. I'm sure that he's there but I'm not sure how he got there. My brother doesn't have the money… to send him over there." She paused but brushed it off.

"What?" This was getting everyone excited.

"I don't think he would… Unless someone heard about a robbery."

"Are you saying that he steals?" Max asked.

"Of course not." She laughed nervously.

"I got something!" Dizzy said, getting them off Jade.

"What is it?" Tyson asked.

"According to the flight records of the BBA, Rei has requested flights from here to Hong Kong, Jinan to here, here to Jinan, and now from Jinan to Kuramoto." She explained.

"That means that he returned, saw Krypton, then went back." Jade summarized.

"But why would he go to China again?" Max asked.

"Most likely to finish what Krypton made him start."

"If he's done then why is he heading to Kuramoto?" Tyson asked.

"We'll ask when he gets here." Kai said.

When Rei landed in Kuramoto, he thought he saw Kai with a different look. He held a sign that said his name so he went over.

"+Hi, my name is Rei.+" He said in Japanese.

":You could speak your tribe's tongue around me.:" He said that in the language of his tribe.

":So you must be Yoma that Wu told me so much about.:" He said with a smile since he could never speak this while in Japan.

"She told me that you wanted to have your body remember what you learn." He said as they walked out.

"Yea. I had training with a ninja in our village. Of course she put all that training into this pearl that you sent her."

"She requested it." They got on a bus and it took them near his house.

Rei was studying him as they were on the bus. He reminded him a lot of Kai, with how their face and eyes were shaped. Though Wu could never see him physically, she was able to see his eyes. They were a silver and blue mix in both of them. Rei forgot to ask if he knew that she was blind or was he supposed to keep that a secret. Like his eyes, hers are able to have a slit in them but it's shown as a darker shade of her eyes in the middle though that only happens to her when she uses magic.

"Why didn't we meet you on our trip? Was the village out of the way or something?" Yoma asked as they walked the rest of the way to his house.

"I'm not sure why but no one would've been there. I mean, all of her friends were heading over to Russia for a Beyblade tournament."

"Beyblade? Oh, that game. Why?" He looked over at Rei.

"I was on the team that won the tournament and everyone else was going to start off the tournament." Rei didn't really want to mention the real reason as to why BIOVOLT wanted them there.

"All of her friends can't be into that game."

"Everyone in our village that stayed is trained in the art of blading."

"But she isn't."

"That's because her mother moved once her little brother was born. They came back every now and then to visit but not long enough to learn how to blade."

"Does everyone else have golden eyes?" Rei remembered the adults saying that green eyes in their village meant that the person is blind and, of course, that doesn't happen often.

"Has Wu told you that she can't see?"

"Of course she can see. She's not blind."

"Don't get mad at her for not telling you but she was blind since birth. She's only able to see the spirit of things. Sometimes that spirit is the same as the physical but sometimes it isn't. She has improved her ability to see the spirit to know what's what since they have the familiar spirits, even if the object is from a different place. People with green eyes from our village are normally blind."

"Do they normally see the spirit of things?"

"She's so far the first one. Letting you know that she was able to see your eyes. I don't mean on your dragon and it took her a well before she realized it."

"How long?"

"A few days into your trip."

The smile on his face really reminded Rei of his leader. It was starting to creep him out a little of how similar they were.

"Oh, don't speak your village's tongue around my house. My dad doesn't like China too much."

"Then would he not like Wu or me?"

"My mom is softening him to the idea but since he hasn't met her, he might ask you something about her."

"Oh yea, she only met your mother and cousin when she came."

"I guess she told you."

"She also told me that she was attack but not by whom."

He looked at the ground, "I'll tell you that later. We're here." He stopped at the edge of a shadow of a tree.

Rei looked to see that the house was out of the sun's reach. He could also sense all the traps that were there. "How about we go through this? It could help test my new skills and how to get them from my talisman."

"If you think that you can handle it." He said with a smile. No matter how much Yoma looked like Kai, Rei knew right then that they were different. He didn't even know if Kai would smile like that now, since he has Jade.

They jumped into the field of traps but were able to either not activate them or avoid them. Either one got hit when they landed on the front porch.

"That ninja trained you well."

"I guess you don't have to train me in much."

"You had to avoid more than me."

"+Yoma, why didn't you tell me that you had a friend coming over+" A female voice said with worry.

"+I'm okay. I was the one that suggested it.+" Rei said in Japanese.

The lady was wearing a kimono that Rei remembered seeing while his first stayed in Japan. She was really beautiful and Rei guessed that this was his mother by the sound of her voice.

"Mom, this is Rei Kon. He's from the village that Wu comes from." Yoma explained.

"It's an honor to meet you." She said with a bow.

"It's an honor to meet you as well." He bowed the traditional Chinese way.

"Please, come inside." She opened the sliding door and allowed them to go in first.

The house was dark but warm. Wu described it as she saw it and everything was as she said. He saw a handsome looking man sitting at the table that Wu and her friends sat in when they first came.

"Son, you must've gotten careless to have so many activated." His voice sounds like a twenty age Kai. There was no real warmth in his voice, half reminding him of Voltaire.

"I had someone else with me."

He looked back to see Rei. Rei bowed to him the Japanese way to show respect. "My name is Rei. I'm a clansman of Wu."

"Of Wu? And yet you have good Japanese."

"My teammates all speak Japanese and I have lived here for a good while to learn it."

"And what has become of your own native tongue?"

"Still within me, I have not forgotten it."

"You must be tired from your trip. Have something to eat then meet me in my office." He got up and walked out of the room.

"Have a seat and I'll prepare something." His mother said as she went into the kitchen.

So they did. ":I didn't think you would speak with a lot of respect since you just met him.:" Yoma said.

":I want to make sure that Wu is happy. I know that she would speak in the same way.:"

"Are you two just friends?"

"Yea. She's one of my best friends. We both have a tiger spirit watching over us but she has a normal one and I have a white. As a matter of fact, if she didn't tell me that I had that spirit, I've might not have the Bit Beast that I have today."

"+Why say that+"

"+She told me that I would be strong enough to tame our clan's most powerful Bit Beast since my animal spirit matches it. I had to fight against my best friend for it so it wasn't an easy gain. After that, I left to travel to gain more experience in the game.+"

"Wu told me that a friend of hers was traveling around the world. That was one factor that made her go on this trip."

"What is your clan called?" His mother asked as she came out with the snacks.

"The White Tigers."

"Shouldn't someone else have known that you would gain the Bit Beast other than her?"

"The elders did. I had to fight him later on since I was on another team."

"Is your team still together?" Yoma asked as they ate.

"We are but I was sent to have special training since something might happen to our leader and his girlfriend. Her brother was the one that send me on this, if you were wondering."

"Then wouldn't he want the others to do the same?"

"He would've sent me either way but I think he thinks the others aren't strong enough to stop it."

"Very bit helps though."

"I don't think he wants to involve to many people."

"But if it involves your leader then wouldn't it involve your teammates as well?" His mother asked.

"I didn't really think about it too much when he asked me to do this. I just followed his orders."

"How did you meet him?" Yoma asked.

"He and his sister are now training us to become stronger Bladers." Rei noticed that they were done with the snack. "Should I meet with your father now?"

"I guess so. Follow me." Yoma got up and Rei followed him into a room darker than house. There was only one light and that was to allow someone to see his father mediating. "Wait until he speaks and follow my lead."

Yoma sat down in a traditional Japanese position, bowed low to the ground to show respect, and sat there quietly. Rei followed him as he was doing so. He looked around with just his eyes to see what was in the room.

Once his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he was able to see that there was a bookshelf behind him containing many old looking books. There was a small, low table in front of him, most likely to place food and such things on. There was a door to Rei's left but he couldn't guess what was behind it.

"Rei Kon. Why have you stopped here?" His father finally spoke.

"I have trained in ninjitsu but I had to lock away that training so my friends don't know what I was doing. Wu thought it would be best if my body became familiar with the knowledge so I could use some of it better since it is useful."

"And how did Wu know that you were a ninja?" He looked over to his son.

"I told her that I was apart of a ninja clan on our way back to our home countries."

"Who trained you, Rei?"

"A well-known ninja from Japan. I never asked for a name."

"A ninja from Japan? I think I heard of one going to a minority tribe in China not too long ago."

"That might be my tribe. It's known as the White Tigers."

"I didn't care too much of the name of the tribe but I'll see if I can't find out. Spend the day with Yoma and tomorrow I'll tell you about your training."

"Thank you." Rei bowed to show gratitude.

Of course, he had to bow before leaving with Yoma.

":For a second there, I thought he would get mad at me.:" Yoma said as they were walking on the backyard walkway.

":Why would he:"

"He doesn't want too many people to know that we're a ninja clan. One of a few still surviving and practicing the ninjitsu."

"Wouldn't that be something to be proud of?"

"We hold it with great honor but since people from our family become either bodyguards, mercenaries, assassins, teachers of the art, teachers of other arts, judges for tournaments or other things that don't include the martial arts; we kept it a secret. Only the head of the family keeps the family traditions alive within the whole family."

"So you have to become a ninja even if you don't want to?"

"That's right and my love can't know about it until we're engaged…"

"Did you tell your other friends that you're a ninja or just Wu?"

"I only told Wu since we were both coming back on the same plane. Otherwise I might not have told her about it."

"Does your father know about every birth in your family?"

"Yes. He has an area where he keeps records of births and what they do."

"Do you look at them?"

"That's one of my studies."

"Have you ever crossed the name Kai? He would be about fifteen or so."

"Kai? No one has that name for a while. Why?"

"You two look similar so I thought that he might've come from here."

"I guess it would be possible for us not to have all the names… Ask him when you get back."

"I will. Though rethinking about it, I think his Grandfather is Russian so he might not be fully Japanese."

"When did I say that our whole clan is pure Japanese?"

"I guess you do have a point. After all, you like Wu." Rei thought that he saw a little blushing.

"Here is where you'll be staying." He opened a sliding door to reveal a plain room with a scroll, flowers, and a floor mat. "Breakfast is around dawn."

"Right." He placed his bag in the room. "Is there anything else to do around here?"

"I was planning on giving you a tour."

"Okay."

Yoma showed him where everything was in the house. Yoma then showed him around the town where a good amount of his family lives. Of course Rei was nice to them, making sure that they'll get use to the idea of Wu being around. Rei noticed what Yoma meant when he said that their line wasn't pure Japanese, there were wives and husbands from all over the world.

"If you have so many foreigners in your family then why worried about everyone liking Wu?" Rei asked as they were to back to his house.

"The main line has always been Japanese."

"But your mother likes her so she wants to allow it."

"Mother is part Chinese, though Father doesn't know about that."

"So that means if you did marry Wu that they'll be more Chinese than Japanese. Is anyone in your family good with magic?"

"No one in our history nor now. Why ask?"

"Wu would pass down what she has learned from her mother and from our clan."

"Does your tribe operate the same as mine?"

"A little. There are a lot of similarities but then there are many differences."

"Like what?"

"We don't keep detail records of our ancestors but we tell stories about them. Our tribe has, for the longest time, focus on the weapon we now call Beyblades to fight with."

"What happens to the one that grow out of it?"

"They either move on or stay within the village and do something else. This group is the first that has traveled outside of China and has entered the World Tournament."

"And you started it?"

"I think so but I'm sure that it was bound to happen one way or another. I'll see you at breakfast." Rei opened the door to his room and went in.

In the morning, Rei woke up a bit earlier than the sun. As he was walking around, he noticed that Yoma's father was talking to the person that trained him in his village. He couldn't hear what they were saying but guessed that it had something to do with his training. He left since he was willing to wait it out.

At breakfast, the food was great. Yoma's father was there and Rei guessed that he's normally not since they were both nervous about something.

"+Rei, you will help with the chores around here while you stay. As for your training, that will help you.+" His father left.

"+How long should I stay+" Rei asked before he completely left the room.

"As long as you feel needed." Then he was gone.

"We better get started." Yoma said as him and his mother got up from the table.

Rei followed them and helped with the dishes. They went to the dojo and cleaned the place; during which, Yoma showed Rei all the weapons that they had hidden and how to use them. Of course Rei remembered everything so he didn't have to waste their time teaching him. Once they were done with the dojo, they cleaned the rest of the house.

":You do this every morning:" Rei asked once they sat down.

":Yep but it went a lot faster with help.:"

"+Yoma, we need you two to run an errand for us.+" Oni said as he ran up to them.

"+What is it+"

"Could you get these for us?" He handed Yoma a note before taking off.

":I guess we go:" Rei asked, looking at Yoma.

":I guess.:" They got up and went into the city.

But along the way, the other people from the town to get something for them stopped them. Of course, they did the same thing that Oni did so it didn't leave them much time to say no.

":Something going on.:" Yoma said with a serious expression.

":Like what:" Rei looked over at him as they were riding the bus. Rei was looking at the notes but they weren't written in kanji.

"They're planning something and they didn't have time to plan it very well."

"If you think that then maybe it has something to do with me being here."

"You might have a point."

"Are you closer to your mother than your father?"

He looked at him, "What made you think up this question?"

"I know it's natural for a mother to be close to her son… and I know that I'm not familiar with Japanese customs, but it seems that you both fear your father enough to lower yourself to his will. Don't take it the wrong way but that's what I see."

"Would Wu hate that live?"

"Wu's tiger spirit won't take it for long and your dragon spirit shouldn't either."

"What makes you think that?"

"I have another friend who's Japanese and has a dragon spirit. It seems like nothing can really stop him once he set his mind on something. I understand that people are different but the dragon is just waiting to be unleashed."

"How long will it take her spirit to resist?"

"I'm not sure but since she's familiar with Chinese traditions, mind that I'm sure she doesn't really practice it, she might understand and willing follow for a good while."

"What happened to her father anyway?"

"He was killed by a disease. I think that's one reason why her mother made them leave."

"What was he in the village?"

"I think he worked with metal because we normally went to him if our blades were damaged."

"Are there more than one?"

"Of course but we knew him through Wu so I guess it was as if she was helping us even though she never blade."

"I think my mom is what has kept me from being like my father."

"Is there a reason to his demeanor?"

"I was told that it's a trait that the head has to learn."

"What if that head is a female?"

"Doesn't matter. I guess my mother doesn't want me to be like that so she kept me close as possible without letting my father know about it."

"I think it's good that she did that."

"Why?"

"Otherwise you'll be more like Kai."

"Who is Kai anyway? I just assumed that he was one of your teammates."

"He's our leader."

"Is there something wrong with being similar to your leader?"

"There's nothing wrong with it. I would think it's kinda creepy, that's all."

"Anyway, this is our stop." They got off in the city and went around getting the things that everyone else wanted. It was a lot of things to bring back on the bus so they decided to carry it all the way back.

"Maybe that was a bad idea." Yoma said as they stopped to rest. It was getting late and there was no way for them to get back in time.

"Your father did say that this was part of my training."

"Since when?"

"The chores are and this is a chore."

"Oh… We better make better distance than this." Yoma grabbed his bags and started walking. Rei picked up his and followed. They were walking along side the rode since they needed to make sure that they were on the right track.

"You haven't told me who attack Wu during your trip."

"We got as much of a revenge as we could."

"Thank you and that's good to know but I still want to know."

"One of the racist people that were on the ship."

"How did you know that she needed help? She doesn't like to involve other people in her problems."

"That's how she thought about it?" Yoma looked at him with anger in his eyes though Rei understood that it was at the event, and most likely at the attacker.

"She figures that since she can't see, why should she scream for help? Of course we protected her but she was still picked on in the village. That's when she learned how to fight but I guess that no one bothered them up there too badly or she learned their weakness so she knows where to hit. Did something happen to her chest?"

"Why?"

"As she was telling me about it, she placed her hand there."

"He didn't cut her deeply there like the other cuts but the knife was sharp enough to cut through a good amount of layers. I think she covers the scars with make-up that a friend's mom gave her."

"How did you know? Did you sense it or something?"

"They were above the room that we were staying in. We heard stomping and weird noises. Once it got quiet, I went to see what it was and to make sure that Wu was ok. I saw that he held by the neck so I called to the others before launching at him."

"By the way that Wu described it, it sounds like he was trying to scare her or kill her slowly. I bet that you guys wanted to kill him but weren't sure if you could get a way with it."

"Our Egyptian friend was trying to think up reasons not to kill him but it didn't work."

"It's understandable. Thanks for telling me. I'm sorry that you had to remember it."

"We better stop for now." Yoma moved into the forest and Rei followed. It was a cloudless night, and the stars were everywhere in the sky. "That's when I realized that I liked her."

Rei looked over at him, "Wu liked you from the start."

"I know… But I thought that I had to live like my father. I didn't want anyone to be close to me. I think that's why my mother encouraged me to go on that trip."

"Let me guess, you liked her the same way when you met her but you tried everything to keep her away."

"Yea. I was kind to her, of course. We all were since she was the only girl in a group of guys. Though as I pushed her away, Eric fell for her."

"But she didn't think anything of him. She still wanted you."

"I guess I was just fooling myself to think that I could keep myself distant."

"Strange things happen when you're in a group and especially if you have to be around them a long time."

"Talking from experience?"

"Observing. Though our leader wouldn't admit it to himself for the longest time, we all knew that he had grown to like us. But once we hit Russia, something drew him back and it took his near death to realize that we were still with him. No matter what happens, we'll always be there to help."

"I guess Kai and I aren't so different after all."

"Then there's still hope."

"For what?"

"That he'll smile with real warmth. For now, we just have to understand that it's there." Rei then knew that there was also hope that Krypton and Jade would turn out the same way, as long as them three stick together.

"We better get some sleep anyway."

"Right."

As they were walking the next morning, they noticed that rain clouds were coming.

"How are we going to handle this?" Yoma asked more to himself than Rei.

"Make covers for the bags." Rei sat his down and was grabbing leaves.

"How will that help?"

"Leaves absorb water as well as having a structure to keep it off the ground for a good while." Rei made a few small domes with the leaves, grass and twigs. They fit nicely over the bags so they continued their journey.

"Where did you learn to do that?"

"It's something we learn in our village."

"Teach me how to make it when we get back."

"Not a problem."

It was around noon when the rain came. It was making their clothes saggy and their muscles harden. Luckily, they weren't too far from the town. They delivered the items to the people before heading home.

"+What were you thinking? Traveling in the rain with no protection.+" Yoma's mother said as she was handing them towels.

"+Sorry mom.+"

"You two better get into the tub to warm up. I'll have a soup ready when you come out."

"Thank you." They headed to the bathing room.

Of course Rei was planning on putting on the same clothes since his other ones were being shipped to his apartment but Yoma's mom gave him something to wear that was Yoma's.

"Mom, do you know what the town is doing?" Yoma asked when she brought them their soups in Yoma's room.

"Your father arranged it and that's all I know. Rei, you should really wash your hair." She noticed that the piece that tied his hair was still wet.

"I will. I just didn't want Yoma to wait for the soup."

"Thoughtful." She walked out.

":I think she wants to adopt you.:" Yoma said as he ate.

":Really? Can't she have more kids:"

"Nope."

"Did she know as soon as she had you or do you just feel responsible?"

"Let's just say it's why we started to fear him."

"Do you think he'll do the same to Wu?"

"I wouldn't really put it pass him."

"You can understand that I want her to be safe as well as happy."

"I know."

"Anyway, you wanted to show me a videogame?"

Yoma looked at him, wondering how he could change the topic so fast but didn't ask him. Yoma was showing him how to play but it was taking Rei a long while to get the hang of it.

After he took a shower, he went back to playing but then Yoma's father came in.

"+Son, what are you teaching him+" His voice held the hint of anger.

"+We were just passing time.+"

"I'm sorry, I was the one that pressed it. I guessed that since it was raining that we didn't have to do any chores." Rei covered the fact that Yoma suggested that they take a break.

"How would you know anything about videogames when you live in an isolated village?" He sounded like he knew that he was lying.

"One of my friends were talking about an awesome game before I left on this and I just now noticed he had it so I wanted to know what he was talking about."

"Yoma, you should have noticed that the rain stopped." He left.

":Thanks a ton.:" He said once he made sure that his father was gone.

":It's understandable. What should we do? It's near night.:"

"I really don't know. I don't have any chores before night."

"Does he normally eat dinner with you and your mom?"

"He doesn't have any meal with us."

"I'll show you how to make it tomorrow. We should probably see what your mom is doing."

"Good point. She would've called us." They walked out and headed to the kitchen.

They saw her making something quietly but Rei stopped Yoma from speaking. They watched her a bit to see that she was bruised in the face. Rei pulled Yoma away so she didn't know that they were there.

Once outside, he threw a ninja knife at a rock, which cracked the rock in two.

"Have some idea as to why?"

"For treating us like children."

"Why us?"

"You came here for training."

"+Yoma, come with me.+" They looked to their right to see his father. Rei looked at Yoma to see non-expression face that he knew his leader can hold and most likely often before he meet him. Rei couldn't sense what emotion his was hiding as he walked towards his father. He knew there was anger but he didn't know if there was fear. Once they were in his office, Rei made his way to Yoma's mother.

"+Do you need any help+" Rei asked like he didn't know what condition she was in.

"Rei? No, I'm fine." She said quickly and made sure that he didn't see.

"I'm sorry if I got you and Yoma in trouble."

"What makes you think we're in trouble?"

"Letting you know that it would be an honor to both Wu and me if you want to adopt us unofficially."

"Thank you Rei. I hope you're not saying that to make me feel better."

"But it is the truth."

"_Arigato domo_."

"Would it be alright if I cook tomorrow?"

"When?"

"Morning."

"Sure. Do you want me there?"

"I think you'll know once you wake up."

"Okay."

Rei walked away to see that Yoma was coming back. He didn't see any bruises but if there were then it would be where his clothing covered.

":Are you okay:"

":I'm fine. Remember when you said that my dragon spirit was waiting to be unleashed:"

"Did you hurt him?"

"No, just shocked him I think."

"+Dinner's ready.+" They looked back to see his mother serving the food but still not showing that side of her face.

"+Thank you, mother.+"

"Eat before it gets cold." She smiled before returning to the kitchen.

They ate quietly since Rei didn't know what to say and knew not to say anything about his mother.

"Rei, may I have a word with you?" Yoma's father asked.

Rei first looked at Yoma then got up. Yoma's expression told Rei to be careful so he was going to be. He followed him to the same room as before, did the same movements as before, and waited for his words.

"What have you been telling my son?" He took a while, most likely to calm down.

"I've been telling him many things."

"Any about his role here?"

"I understand the word 'tradition'."

"That's good, what about Wu? Does she understand?"

"We both understand that some 'tradition' need to be change." Rei could sense that that wasn't making him happy. "I'm sorry to say but we are both breakers of traditions."

"She?"

"Yes, there has been a tradition in our tribe and she has broken it."

"What about you? What 'tradition' have you broken?"

"Staying in the village."

"But Wu doesn't live in your village."

"I wasn't allowed to leave."

"Why?"

"I was given a mystical beast of my tribe which wasn't allowed to leave my tribe."

"So why did you?"

"I wanted to bring my tribe honor by being the best."

"Did you achieve that?"

"I believe so."

"Are you still going to stay here?"

"For a little long."

"You may go."

Rei bowed before leaving. Yoma looked worried as he came out.

"Well?"

"He's allowing me to stay and he did nothing."

"Good. What did he want to talk about?"

"He wanted to know why you snapped."

"You two better head to bed." His mother said.

"Right." They left. ":Mom told me that it was okay to adopt you two. Do you not have a mom:"

":You said that she wanted to and I don't mind having a family that I can count on in Japan.:"

"Thanks, I guess."

"Besides, you need someone to talk to anyway. Night." Rei closed his door.

In the morning, Rei made breakfast. He was glad that he was working at the restaurant since that helped with the traditional Japanese look. Both Yoma and his mother liked it and Rei could tell that his father liked it as well. After breakfast, they did the morning chores like before but his father sent them to the dark room.

"This is to help with your stealth since your village wasn't the best of help with the darkness." His father said as he struck a match and lit a candle. Rei could tell that he was sitting down and was waiting for them to attack.

Each was taking their time with their attacks to make sure that they weren't noticed but their breathing was getting them at the end. Rei was able to see well without too much light since his eyes are similar to cats.

"Take a break for ten minutes." He said when they were breathing too hard to really stay quiet.

":You were impressive.:" Yoma said as they were lying on the small bridge over the pond.

":Thanks. Oh, Wu wanted the new tiger to have a name. Any ideas:"

"Call it Byakko."

"Byakko?" Rei recognized the name as the White Tiger of the West in Japan.

"Why not?"

"I guess I don't have a better name. Ok… Have you heard about the Eight Immortals?"

"Yea. It's a Chinese legend isn't?"

"Wu thinks that you guys are the reincarnations of them."

"Why?"

"It fits, from what I've heard."

"Interesting… But we're all from different countries and not virtuous."

"Do you think they were when they were young? Everyone has a trial they must pass one day in their lives. Maybe that trip was yours."

"Maybe… It's nice to have someone else to talk to."

"Told you."

"+Your break is up.+" His father called.

They went back into the room but they had to fight each other in complete darkness. Rei's eyes were his biggest advantage in the dark for a few seconds. He figured that Yoma trained himself constantly to be a master of the art to carry on the traditions of his family. They went at each other with everything they got. Rei even managed to use some of his training, both with and without the pearl.

When they were done, it was dinnertime but his mother told them that there was a surprise waiting. She led them outside and they knew that it was what the village was planning for. There was a banner saying something since it wasn't written in Kanji. Yoma quickly translated it to be 'Welcome to the Family'. Everyone was praising them and Yoma's father was explaining his actions, though he knew that it could never cover all the damage his has done. After that, Yoma was in Rei's room, trying to put this together.

":I think your father was sorry for how he acted towards you and your mother.:" That's what Rei got from the explanation.

":Does that really make it better though:"

"Not really. But I guess it's comforting to know. You now know the why of his actions."

"I guess you two bring good lucky."

"+Rei, Yoma.+" It was Yoma's mother.

"+Yes+" Rei asked.

"May I come in?"

"Of course."

She opened the door and closed it before sitting down at the small table that was in Rei's room.

"Is something the matter, mother?" Yoma asked.

She shook her head, "I'm sorry that you had to find out about that Rei."

"I'm sorry that you two had to live with that."

"My husband said that you don't have to worry about training. You're quite skilled for only have a few days of training."

"Thank you. I guess I'll leave some time tomorrow."

"Yoma, don't worry about training or chores tomorrow."

"Right."

She got up and walked out.

":Want me to show you how to make that basket:"

":Sure. Night.:" Yoma got up and went out as well.

The next morning, Rei showed him how to pick the leaves, twigs and grass to make it. It didn't take him every long to learn it and make one himself. Rei, at their pond, showed him how endurable it was to hold water.

After they were done with that, his mother handed Rei a centerpiece for a Beyblade that was the same color as his but with not a Bit picture and his White Tiger crest and another.

"I was told that you were a Blader so I had this made. It has your clan's crest and ours. I hope that you'll accept this."

"Of course I will." He said with a smile as she places it his hand.

"I know that you might not be able to transfer your Bit Beast into this but hope you find a way to do so."

He looked at Yoma; he figured that he told her that Wu has magical abilities. Yoma gave the look of don't tell. "I'll find a way. Thank you."

"You two better get to the city to catch your train. Good luck." She walked away though Rei could tell that she wanted to hug him.

":Is it wrong for mothers to show affection to their kids:" Rei asked quietly to Yoma.

":There were probably many things going throw her mind. Should we bring her with us to the city:"

"I don't see a problem with that."

"Good. She doesn't have too many chances to be a mother." Yoma went after her and Rei followed.

They were all silent on the way going there and as she bought Rei's ticket.

"+Don't forget to ask your leader.+" Yoma said as the train was pulling up.

"+I won't forget. It might creep me out over there too.+" Rei said with humor.

"Catch you later then." Yoma had his hand in the air.

"Count on it." And Rei took it.

Yoma's mother just hugged him, "Good luck."

"Thank you." The train was here so he got on. He waved bye as the train was leaving and didn't sit down until he couldn't see the platform.

He wrote to Wu about what he discovered and what he told Yoma, since she has a spell to let her see what is written. Of course warning her about his father though not mentioning about what he has done to Yoma and his mother. He was happy to know that they wanted her, and him, in their family. He knew that at one point, their clans would have to meet each other.

He also allowed her to know that there was a tournament coming up in Australia and if she knew anyone from there, Egypt, Greece, Chile, Iraq, or India then ask if they know someone that's on Kaiba Corp's team. Rei wanted to meet her friends so they know that she's part of a clan in China since she didn't bring them nor told them about it. Though he's sure that they didn't announce stuff like that, it was harder to tell in China.

As soon as he got into town, he went to talk to his boss. His boss agreed to mail the letter for him and wanted him to work for a bit. Rei didn't mind so he did that until it was time to close. He went looking for Krypton to let him know that he was done. He found him on the rooftop again.

"Krypton!" Rei called as soon as he was on it.

"Everyone knows where you went by plane." Krypton said that like he was pissed.

"My clan wasn't known for a long time so how else was I going to get to China to train?"

"Why go there anyway?"

"I needed a place to train and I know that's a good place. I've done what you've asked and seal a good amount of Driger's and mine power." That reminded him that he still needed to transfer Driger into the new centerpiece.

"Why were you at Kuramoto?"

"Personal reasons." He didn't think that Krypton should really know until Rei tells his friends.

"Was it also part of the training?"

"A little, though I probably would've been sent there either way."

"Who sent you?"

"A friend."

"Who is this friend?"

"Someone from my clan."

"How would someone from your clan know someone in Japan?"

"They met on a trip while we were on our Tournament Tour. Why are you asking?"

"Just to make you think before you face them."

"Thanks… I guess."

"You better get going. It's late."

"Right." Rei jumped off the roof and onto another.

Rei was running over to the meeting spot since he was having fun cooking and lost track of time. One of the other cooks was teaching him how to put a show while cooking. He just hoped none of them make a comment about him being late. Though he knew that he should worry about them still being there.

They were all there, including Jade. "Hi guys!"

They all turned around and Tyson ran the fastest to get it him, "Rei! Where have you been?" Rei could hear their worry and excitement in their voices.

"What's with the new look?" He managed to hear Jade ask.

Tyson and Max stopped their joyous, one-way talk so Rei could answer, "My clan wanted me to represent them better so they wanted me to come home to try them out."

"Then why come back here?" Jade wasn't really buying it and neither were the others.

"I told them about you two and how you guys are training us so they also wanted your Bit Beast so I had to come back. I didn't want too many people know that I was back so I just asked Krypton. He gave me this big lecture about leaving and told me to at least write a letter to you guys so I did and handed it to him before going back."

"Then why did he tell us that he ask you to go away?"

"I don't know." He did manage to learn from Yoma how to hide expressions and lies on the face so no one was able to read him.

"Why go to Kuramoto?"

"One of my kinsmen wanted me to do something there since I was heading back to Japan anyway."

"Do we know the person?" Max asked.

"No."

"I thought everyone in your town was into blading?" Tyson asked.

"Her family moved out of the village once her little brother was born."

"If she moved out then how could she ask you to do something for her in Kuramoto?"

"I visited her while there." He was hitting his head mentally since he still hasn't put Driger into the new centerpiece. Though it was too late to ask them to go somewhere so he could while it was on his mind.

"I hope you didn't downgrade your skills while there." Jade said. It just hit Rei that Wu might've put those into Byakko as well.

"I battled Lee when I first got there and noticed that I was at a higher level that they haven't reached so I thought it wouldn't be any fun in holding back."

"Good. Letting you know that the tournament isn't that far away and Mr. Dickenson is planning on talking to everyone about it. We won't train today since Rei is back and I want to yell at my brother. But tomorrow, Rei is going to be punished for worrying us and taking us off schedule." Jade walked away.

Rei actually thought he should be scared but was hiding it. He just now noticed that it was a lot more fun going to different places and learning about it, though he labeled it as running. He figured that's how a lot of the adults in the village discovered their other calling from Beyblades.

"Have you been able to find anything else on the Yami Hunters?" Rei asked to get the subject off him for a while.

"We haven't looked but you do have a good point." Kenny said as he headed down the hill to sit on the bench.

"All that's on them is that they're in the Australian Tournament." Dizzy said once the search was done.

"They should at least have a picture and names, right?" Tyson asked.

"Vasuki is from India and his Bit Beast is named Nagi."

"You didn't say they would have Bit Beast." Kenny said.

"Mr. Dickenson didn't tell me that." Rei said in his defense.

"Here's a picture of him." Dizzy brought up a picture of a boy with brown hair and red on his bangs and the bottom of his hair, red eyes and a loose, dark green tank top. "His age is fifteen."

"What about his Bit Beast?" Max asked.

"Here it is." Dizzy brought up a dragon looking Bit Beast with silver spikes on it's back and claws, green scales, yellow stomach and red on its tail and eye cover thing but it wasn't around the eye.

"That's a Naga." Rei said, seeing the semi-crocodile characteristics in the legs and mouth.

"A what?" Tyson asked.

"It's a mystical creature in India." Kenny typed that in for his database.

"Ereshki is from Iraq and her Bit Beast is Galu." Her hair was silverish dark blue, short hair that didn't pass her shoulders; dark bluish eyes; a strapless darker green shirt and shiny gray fabric were on her arms. Her Bit Beast was a dark crimson bird with an odd shaped red head feathers and a sharp grayish feather on the back of its head; silver wings and claws; and golden beck and legs. "She's thirteen."

"Do you know what that is?" Kenny looked at Rei.

"It's a Galla. They're somehow connected with the Underworld of civilization in the Tigris River."

"The next member is Cassander from Greece and his Bit Beast is Daon." He had yellow-orange hair; orange eyes; and darken reddish yellow T-shirt. His Bit Beast was a bluish dolphin with a metal band covering its face and back portion before the tail. "He's thirteen as well.

"Tezcatli is from Chile and his Bit Beast is Sapi." He has light gray hair; same color T-shirt with a darker shade of gray long sleeves underneath. His Bit Beast is a brown spider with metallic looking legs and three curve spikes on its back. "He's thirteen.

"Neith is from Egypt and her Bit Beast is Sane." She had pink hair that was long and dark yellow vest tank top that was only together by one button. Her yellow eyes reminded Rei of a snake. Her Bit Beast was a black reddish snake with a bright red underbelly; a metal plate covered its head as well as four bands on its body. "She's fifteen."

"Only one is not dangerous." Max said.

"They're Bit Beast so they're all shouldn't be taken lightly." Kai said.

"Why not check out the local team?" Rei suggested.

"They're known as the BeyUnders and they're a four member team." Dizzy said, "Their leader is Clio, age fourteen, and his Bit Beast is called Senis." He has blonde hair, red tank top and sunglasses. His Bit Beast is a snow-ish blue seal with a yellow stomach and red yes.

"Yeti, age fourteen, has a Bit Beast called Silenis." He has aqua blue hair, blue eyes, and a darker blue T-shirt with its left sleeve ripped off. His Bit Beast is a bird with a silver head, metallic orange feathers for the neck and first pair of wings; metallic red for the other set of wings and body; the talons were similar to a vulture's and its tail was as long as a peacocks, with same coloring but without the dots.

"I remember reading about that. It's related to the phoenix." Rei said, not really thinking that it was out loud.

"What's its name?" Kenny asked.

"Its true name is Simurgh and it's a mystical bird in Australia but I'm sure that it's not of a fire nature like the phoenix."

"Next is Victor, fourteen, and his Bit Beast is named Peganis." He has jet-black hair, red eyes, and a dark green T with its sleeves ripped off. His Bit Beast was a weird looking white bird since it had a horse's head and mane but everything else was a bird. The feathers on the wings were a peach color and the talons and legs were yellow.

"Well?" Kenny asked.

"It's know as a Pegais and it's similar to the idea of a Pegasus."

"Last is Kye, fourteen, and his Bit Beast is called Ganis, or Gani." He had brown hair, red-orange eyes, and a light orange tank top. His Bit Beast was a female humanoid with violet reddish fur, minus hands, waist and down, and breast; dark blood red hair that reached midway to her back; purplish eyes, small swamp green wings, a reddish brown tail and small red cat ears. Her nails were red and Kenny quickly exited the picture since she had no cloths on.

"That's known as a Baginis; half animal, half human, all recorded ones are females." Rei said like it wasn't that big of a deal.

"It'll be hard to concentrate with a Bit Beast like that." Max said.

"Are the rest of the teams local?" Kai asked, not displaying what he thought about that Bit Beast.

"There's a Russian Team known as the Dynamo but none of them have a Bit Beast and they're not registered with BIOVOLT." Dizzy said.

"Should we still worry? If they don't have Bit Beast then it shouldn't be too much trouble taking them down." Tyson said.

"You're right. It doesn't matter." Kai didn't really care if they were with BIOVOLT or not. After all, Russia is a big country so they might be from the Asian side or something.

"Are Jade and Krypton coming along on this tournament?" Rei asked.

"We don't know. They haven't said since we were worried about you." Tyson said.

"Sorry." It now hit him that Wu's letter might get to him late since he doesn't know when they have to leave.

"How did you know about their Bit Beast origins?" Max asked.

"It's something that I decided to study when I was young and as I traveled, I learned about everyone else's."

"So that's why you're into shaman and things like that." Tyson said it like it was unimportant and should be taken as a joke.

"I… guess so…"

They talked about other things. Rei was half wondering why Tyson didn't think they were real. He has a Bit Beast and he has heard of them being passed down. Maybe it was because of Robert that he doesn't want to believe in it. Of course, that jogged his memory that he needed to ask Kai about his parentage. He wondered if he knew about his mother or was BIOVOLT and Voltaire the only things he had growing up. Yoma was definitely was more cheery because he had his mother, and now Wu, to help bring that out. Kai had this attitude for a long time but was there anyone in his youth that brought joy and comfort to him? Rei guessed that he didn't since it took one chance at death to make him realize that there were people willing to help him and support him.

"See you guys later." Tyson said as they went their separate ways. Rei was about to put Driger into his new centerpiece but he felt someone behind him. He looked to see that it was Kai.

"Did you want to talk?" Rei asked, not showing his what was in his hands.

"I know that you're pretty good at making up lies on the spot so was that the truth?"

"What was?"

"What you told everyone when you got here."

"Of course it was the truth." Everything happened like that but he just didn't mention that Krypton inspired him to go.

"Is that what you're going to tell Mr. Dickenson? We also called him about you missing since your boss said that he called you."

"Does everyone else know where I'm stay?"

"I'm sure they'll like to know."

"I guess I'll have to show them tomorrow. What do you listen to anyway?" Kai held the confusion on his face. "I can hear some kind of music playing most of the time that you're around and not with Jade."

Rei could see that he was debating whether or not to tell him. After a good long while, he took out a CD player, "A group that's not around anymore."

"Is it something that your parents listened to?" This was giving him hope that Kai's mother was still around.

"Jade and Krypton's parents listened to it."

"Oh. What is the band called?"

"Teenage Wolves, why?"

"Just wondering. Well, better get going. After all, I'm being punished tomorrow." Rei waved, still not showing what was in his hands, before leaving. Kai just walked away, wondering what brought about a calmer, happier tiger in their team.

Aw…… Isn't that cute? They're bonding… Well… What did you think about that one Bit Beast Gani? Too bad the guys don't have pictures of it since the part without the fur is human flesh… Anyway… I wonder what punishment Jade is thinking about? I mean, there's a ton of things she could do to him to make him pay… Will Rei show everyone where he's staying or will it be a mystery still?… Who knows? It also seems like Rei has a lot of best friends… I mean, he has Kai… Lee… Wu… and now Yoma… Max and Tyson are best friends… as well as with Kenny… I wonder what will happen in the next chapter?… I mean, anything can happen. They could go to the tournament, someone gets killed, someone else falls in love, etc. Honana!


	7. Chap 7 A New Reason to go to Russia part...

Hello to all my peeps! Sorry, I had to say that. :Smiles: Anyway, hope you like the story so far, though it's really telling what has happened to them then a real story but that's ok! I'm writing a little weird today since I'm using a school's computer since I can't seem to steal… I mean borrow someone else's computer… Though as a spirit, I guess there wouldn't be too many computers that I could borrow… Anyway, I better get onto the story since that's what everyone comes for…

Rei was breathing hard since Jade made him run for two hours, non-stop to make him know that they were worried and to never make them go through that trail again. Though it wasn't the running that was making him breath hard, it was the acting that he was putting on. He could go on for hours around the little track that she set up but he didn't really want to run.

"Have you learned you lesson?" Jade asked as she towered over him.

"Yes." He said as he let out a long sigh, as well as acting that his mouth was dry.

"That's it for today. Tomorrow, Mr. Dickenson will be talking to you guys about the tournament that's being held." Jade walked away. Rei thought it was odd that she didn't say goodbye to Kai and even he held a puzzled look.

"What was that about? Talk about cold." Tyson said once she was no longer in sight.

"I'm not sure." Kai hid his worry but everyone understood that it was there.

"Well, I better be getting to my house. I have to start packing." Max said and went off after waving bye.

"I have some more chores that I have to finish. See you guys tomorrow." Tyson said as he and Kenny went off.

"Do you have to work or something?" Kai asked. Rei guessed that he wanted to go somewhere if he had a choice.

"You can come if you want. It's pretty slow there anyway."

"Don't have anything better to do." Rei understood that was his cover story.

As they were walking over, it hit Rei that he still hasn't put Driger into his new Bit piece, knowing that he would have to soon.

"Start thinking about when to let the others know." Kai said out of the blue but Rei understood what he meant.

"I guess after the meeting tomorrow… I have to ask Jade when that is though."

"I think that she's planning on going with us whether Mr. Dickenson allows her to or not."

"Is that why she didn't stay?"

"She will be there." Said a soft, mysterious voice.

Both boys stopped and looked at the lady with a robe on. Kai immediately knew that it was the same lady that told him about his gang.

"What do you want?" His voice was colder than their first meeting.

"I'm honored that you remember me. But you must remember more than recent past to find yourself, young one."

"You know this lady?" Rei whispered.

"What do you mean?" He knew that she spoke the truth since she was the one that told him about his gang.

"Your past is still a mystery to you. So many un-answer questions are going to take hold during a grand fight. Friends will become foes and old wounds resurface. Pieces will fall onto the Earth to give you guidance to your fate."

"Why aren't you saying destiny?"

"Because your destiny is not told in your past. I can't ask for your destiny until your guides come to you. But I not only see trails of loyalty and friendship but heartache as well."

"Kai, I don't think you should listen too closely to her." Rei said. Kai looked at him, though hiding his worry of what she said. "She could be wrong. She's not even in a trance so there isn't a way for her to look into one's fate." Kai was half buying that since it gave him a little comfort.

"I have mastered my birthright to an art so I have learned to look when I'm not in a trance. If you don't believe I'm a spiritualist then I shall tell you about one of your misfortunes. :Your inner breast shall break free from your hold.:" Rei was now worried that something might happen to Byakko. But after the shock, he realized that she talking to him in Chinese.

":Are you Japanese:" He asked in the Mandarin.

":My friend was taking Chinese in school and I learned through her since I was her nurse maiden.:"

":That doesn't really answer my question.:"

":I am.:"

":People still do that here:"

":It was something that she wanted to do with her children.:"

":How do you know Kai:"

":He can tell you that.+Have a nice day.+" She walked off after saying her last sentence in Japanese.

"+How do you know her+" Rei asked as soon as she was out of sight and they were walking.

"She came to me when we first came back to Japan. I was looking around for something and she told me that I wouldn't find it." Kai remembered that Krypton still had Dark Dranzer but, more importantly, Rei was there. "What do you know about that fight between Krypton and me?"

"I know that you won and that part of the agreement was to allow Jade to have some say so in her life."

"Is that all?"

"Oh, you're talking about Dark Dranzer. Yea, I know about that but I thought that it doesn't matter anymore since you have Jade."

"Don't tell…" He was going to threaten him but then realized that he hasn't told any of them about it so he knew that he could trust him.

"Rei, there's a letter for you from China." His boss said as they walked in.

Rei put on his uniform before taking the letter, "Thanks." He looked at it to see that it was from Wu and he quickly opened it to discover that it was written in mostly katakana and hiragana. There was only a few kanji but he didn't read it.

"What's with the joy and sadness?" Kai asked as he took a seat at the bar.

"It's a letter from the person that sent me to Kuramoto but she's practicing her Japanese."

"Want me to read it?"

"Sure." Rei didn't even give it a second thought. After all, he's supposed to be looking afterward him so trust is very important.

"Dear Rei, I'm happy that you got to know Yoma a lot better and to send me what you discovered. His mother is so kind and thoughtful that I'm honor to be her daughter. I'm glad that you also became apart of their family, now all we need is to have everyone else to be happy.

"You wanted to know if I had any friends from the nations that you mentioned. I do and they're from India and Egypt, though I'm going to ask my Italian friend if he knows someone from Greece since he's a merchant. I'm sure that Eric will help them get to Australia if they need it and I think you will like them very much. Maybe later you'll get to meet my other friends and I'll meet your teammates.

"If you could, send a letter to… Who's that?" Kai showed him the letter and Rei knew it was how they spelled Lee's name.

"That's Lee."

"Send a letter to Lee to let him know about Yoma. Have a great time at that tournament and hope to hear from you soon. Your dearest friend, whoever the person is. So the person you visited was Yoma and she was the one that sent you there?"

"Yep."

"Why are you two adopted by a Japanese family?"

"The mother wanted to and so we accepted it. It's not that bad of a deal. Oh, is your mother or father still around?"

"If they are, I don't know them. Why?"

"Just wondering. You and Yoma look a lot alike so I thought that you two came from the same family or something."

"My Grandfather is Russian."

"I forgot about that." Though he knew that they had many people in their family from different countries, he thought it would be best to keep that a secret for now.

"Do you want the others to know about this?"

"The letter? I don't mind but don't bring it up either."

"I won't." It hit Kai that he wasn't acting like his distant self. He wondered why all of a sudden he's beginning to open himself more to Rei. Thought he didn't mind it too much, it was just striking him now about it. He half wondered if Rei noticed it too.

They met at the park the next morning since they weren't sure where to meet. Jade came not too long after Tyson arrived.

"Follow me. The building isn't that far from here." They followed her to the normal-looking building that Mr. Dickenson was in. He was sitting at his brown desk, looking over some papers. Kai was really hoping that Jade would be able to come with them as the others were excited about the trip itself.

"Good morning gentlemen, I hope that you all had a good training for this tournament." He greeted them warmly and they took a seat on the green couches. "Where is Krypton? I thought he would be here with you."

"He had other things that needed his attention. I can handle all the agreements myself."

"Well, as you all know, there's a tournament coming up and it's in Australia. My biggest rival is also entering a team in this competition and I'm hoping that you're ready to fight them. He's crude when it comes to competitions so no doubly his team is the same. You'll be leaving tomorrow for the trip via boat so get everything ready."

"At what time are we leaving?" Tyson asked.

"Early in the morning."

"Then we better get packing." Max said.

"Mr. Dickenson, I was wondering if I could travel with them to this tournament." Jade said with a little hope.

"Why do you want to go along?" Mr. Dickenson said that like he was negotiating some kind of hidden deal.

"There was a problem with the training schedule so we didn't get through all I wanted. You want them to win, don't you?"

Mr. Dickenson closed his eyes as if he's thinking about it really hard. Kai was wondering why they were talking like they were making a deal. Jade seemed determined to win the right way but he figured that Krypton was going to make sure that she comes along. Since he was standing, he looked at his teammates to see that they were waiting to hear Mr. Dickenson's answer but he couldn't tell if they wanted Jade with them on the trip or not. He smiled lightly, knowing that they want her to come so he doesn't go back to his old ways.

"Don't worry about her safety, Mr. Dickenson." Everyone looked at Rei. Kai was wondering why he would think of that now, "We'll make sure that nothing happens to her on the trip. Besides that, she's a strong person herself. Especially since her blading technique is so amazing. It would also be good for her, as a Blader, to know where she needs to improve, it that's possible."

"All right, you can go along with them but I need to talk to you alone about it."

"Right." Jade said. Kai thought that Rei allowed Mr. Dickenson to know that they wanted her to come so why does he need to talk to her alone? He was also wondering why Rei talked about safety first. "I'll meet you outside." Jade said, looking at Kai.

He nodded and they walked out.

"That was getting tense there for a minute. Any thoughts on why, Kai?" Tyson asked as they walked outside to the open air.

"I don't but I do know that even if Mr. Dickenson wouldn't allow her to come, she would've anyways."

"Rei, why did you talk about safety first?" Max asked, standing next to him. Kai noticed that there was some thought in his mind before hiding it.

"She's not a fighter so he probably thought that she might get attack or something."

"Though she could definitely play the part." Tyson commented.

"But it doesn't make sense. They're hiding something from us." Kenny said, pointing out what they wanted to hide.

The doors opened and Jade walked up to them.

"What did you two talk about?" Tyson asked.

"Hope you guys don't mind a girl in your room." Everyone, including Kai, held a confuse look, "Mr. Dickenson wants me to have my own room but it's not like I can't stay in Kai's bed. So you could just put your stuff in that extra room and I'll use it for my personal use."

Everyone looked at Kai to see his reaction to it but all he could do was hide his blushing, though it wasn't working.

"As long as nothing happens during the night, I guess we can live with it." Tyson said, making their leader's face redder.

Jade smiled, "Good, I'll see you tomorrow." She took off.

"You know, she's pretty clever." Rei said once she was gone from sight.

"What do you mean?" Max asked.

"I think she knew that we were going to ask her what they were talking about but she managed to give us shocking news so she didn't have to tell us. But I'm not sure if she knew Kai's reaction to it. In either case, Krypton got her prepared for it so now he might get her ready for the boat trip and tournament as well."

"What makes you think that she's planning this?" Kenny asked.

"Kai said himself that she was coming either way, and I think she's very open if Krypton is not around."

"Well she does have the right idea about packing." Max said.

"I guess asking about it wouldn't be an easy thing." Kenny said more to himself.

"Not unless Kai ask her before they fall asleep." Tyson said with knowledge of the reaction.

Kai just walked along, though all knew he was blushing again.

"Oh, but before we get onto that, you have to show us where you're staying and working." Max said, as Rei was about to walk away too.

"Sure thing. Follow me."

He led them to the place and they were amazed that Mr. Dickenson would get him an apartment in the rundown area of the city. They ate at the restaurant before leaving.

"I think your quiet friend is a lot more enjoyable." Jinochi said, he was the other cook that loves to perform when girls are dinning.

"Why say that?"

"Kenny I understand, but the other two are too much an opposite of you."

"That's what makes our team so balance."

"So how was your trip home?"

"It was great. One of my best friends is in love with a Japanese, whom I got to meet before returning."

"That's great news. So what's up with the tournament?"

"We're leaving early tomorrow."

"I see. So is that the talisman that you told me about?" He was looking at the necklace that no one commented on.

"Yep. Oh, I better put Driger into his new home." Rei brought out the two centerpieces and concentrated on transferring Driger. He felt the light of what he did but he didn't see it. When he opened his eyes, Driger was in the other centerpiece.

"Why did you do that? It was amazing."

"Yoma's mother gave this to me. It has theirs family crest and the White Tiger's. I kept on forgetting to do this when I got back so thanks for reminding me."

"Not a problem. Didn't you say that you got a mystical tattoo?"

"Yep. I guess you want to see it."

"Not now though, Kai's about to walk in."

Rei looked at the door with his hands on his red, fabric belt but quickly removed them since Kai did walked into the restaurant.

"Hi Kai. Are you set for tomorrow?"

"Give me some tea." Kai said, not looking at him. Jinochi got it for him; both could tell that he was worrying about something.

"I'll handle the cooking so sit next to him." Jinochi whispered and Rei nodded.

"What's wrong? I've never seen you this depress before." Rei sat to his right since that was the closest seat to the door to enter the kitchen.

"I'm not sure what to do."

"You mean about Jade?" He nodded. Rei knew right then that he wanted advice but he wasn't sure if he could give him any. "Well, this is a first time for both of you so I know that nothing too serious would happen. Just enjoy that fact that you two can be together a lot more."

"You really think so?" He looked at him.

"Yea. I mean, if you don't want to move that fast then you don't have to."

"Thanks Rei."

"No problem."

"Did Mr. Dickenson tell you about their arrangement?"

"Whatever it is, he doesn't like it too much but he feels like he has to."

"Since when?"

"Since he first told me about them. Though it could've been towards his rival."

"Maybe I could ask her about it."

"She's not going to tell you."

"Why not?"

"It might be something that could hurt us if we knew. She doesn't want the real reason why her and Krypton came to us to damage the friendship they've gain."

Kai didn't think that was the answer but it was pretty clear now. "See you tomorrow." He got up and left. Rei noticed that he left money but he just took it.

"What was that about?" Jinochi asked.

"Jade is coming along and he's worried that something might happen when they're sleeping together."

"Oh… I see. I guess that would worry him."

"It seems like you're able to read people."

"Comes from working at a restaurant. So, are you going to show me?" Rei brought back the cup that Kai use and washed it before showing his tattoo. "Wow, that's amazing. It's really awesome."

"I can't really believe that it's on my back but it is." He said as he was putting back his shirt and man-dress.

"Just remember that you're their wise man that gives them advice."

"Thanks and I will remember that. See ya later."

"Right." Rei walked out to get ready for the trip.

In the morning, everyone was waiting at the harbor for Tyson to show up.

"I hate when he does this." Kenny said with a worry tone.

"But he always managed to show up in time." Max said to calm Kenny down.

"I hope I'm not late." Tyson said as he was running up to them. When he reached them, he was breathing hard.

"Just on time, let's get going." Rei said and everyone went on.

They placed their things in their rooms and went to check the ship as it took off. Much like their trip to Europe, this ship had a stadium in the lower level, a buffet, swimming pool and other recreational sports.

"Awright. I'm going to get some practice in then eat!" Tyson said with his fist in the air.

"You better pick your battles." Jade said in Kai's arm.

"What training are you thinking about given them?" Kenny asked.

"Only in advice during matches like you normally do. It was only an excuse to come."

"Slick move." Tyson said.

" I can't believe there are more Asians in our presents. " Said a female voice.

" And look, they think they can be normal. " Said a male voice, allowing them to pinpoint the group that was talking. There were three people there, one girl and two guys. Rei noticed that one of the guys had a Band-Aid on his cheek.

" Do you have a problem with them or something? " Max asked in English with hate.

" There's an American with them? " Said the big guy there.

" Why do you hate us? " Rei asked in perfect English. Though the others didn't know that he put on the translator that Wu gave him. He did ask to send five more for the others with her friends in the first letter.

" They're evil or pathetic. " Said the girl.

Rei closed his eyes, " Was one of your friends scared to death by a Japanese? " He could sense all his friends looking at him.

" How di… " Before the big guy could finish, Rei launched at him and punched him hard. Rei's eyes were now a very thin slit and his face held his anger.

" I'll make you pay for what you did to her! "

" You know them? " Said the one with the Band-Aid.

" And if you mess with us, I'll do a lot worst then what Yoma did try to do. "

" You come near us and we'll call the captain on you! " Said the girl but she definitely held fear in her voice.

Before he could say something, Kai placed his hand on Rei's shoulder. He looked at his leader, still with the slits in his eyes. "+Calm down. This isn't the place for a real fight.+" Rei made a fist and closed his eyes then he started to relax. " Letting you know that you've hit a nerve in our tiger. I suggest that you make sure that we don't see you, especially if he's by himself. " They walked away in a hurry. Rei was still calming himself.

"+What got your blood boiling+" Tyson asked as they were in the storage room.

"The guy I punched almost killed the kinsmen that I visited."

"Who's Yoma?" Max asked.

"Yoma is the guy that she fell in love with and who I visited in Kuramoto."

"Why do they hate Asians?" Kenny asked.

"I don't know."

"Does she still carry the scares?" Jade asked quietly.

"She does and I'm willing to bet that they're all willing to finish what they tried to do."

"What did he do?" Tyson asked.

"I didn't get all the details but I at least know that he cut her multiple times on her arms and one on her chest. I'm sure there was more than that."

"Make sure that you don't run into them 'accidentally'. The last thing we need is for you to be kicked off the ship and out of the tournament." Kai said in his old fashion way.

"Don't let them push you around and don't go out onto the deck by yourself in the night."

"That's low." Tyson said.

"We'll be careful." Max said.

They decided to leave Rei alone to calm down. Kai was about to follow them when he noticed that Jade wasn't moving.

"I'll be up in a minute Kai."

"Right." Kai went up without her.

There was silence in the room for a good while before Rei spoke, "You wanted to know something?"

"What relationship do you have with her? I know that you would be aggressive with anyone else you cared for but there's something else driving this."

"Do you believe in the spiritual world?"

"Yes, I do. Krypton and I both believe in it. I'm not sure where we knew that it's real but we know."

"She's a powerful shaman ever since she understood that she saw the Spiritual World. She told me that we have the same kind of animal spirit watching over us. Mine is the White Tiger and hers is the normal tiger. Lee and the others never really liked her but they put up with her since I liked her. I think I was her only friend at the beginning."

"Was she picked on for being different?"

"A lot more than she should've been."

"I'm sorry to hear that. Krypton fought to make sure that didn't happen to us. That's why everyone fears him."

"Thanks for asking. You better get going to Kai."

She got off the box, "I'll listen if you still need to talk."

"Thanks."

She smiled before walking up the stairs to her Kai.

"Is he still upset for what happened?" Kai asked as they walked around the deck.

"They're best friends so it's understandable why he went nuts to hear that she was hurt and to face the person that almost killed her. She sounds like someone who's very strong."

"I think Rei thinks of her as a sister. He wants her to be happy."

"Have you met her?" Jade looked up at him.

"She wrote him a letter. Rei allowed me to read it since it was written in Katakana and Hiragana."

"Rei can't read that?"

"He never learned how to I guess."

"In either case, I think it's safe to say that we're on his good side. He looked like a real tiger ready to kill."

Then something hit Kai, he remembered that the cloaked lady said in Chinese something about his inner breast being free from his hold. Though he didn't understand how he knew that but he did. He didn't ask Rei about it then but now he's wondering if that inner beast is breaking its leash that Rei put on it.

"Something wrong? Kai?"

"It's nothing. I was just thinking too much."

She wasn't buying it. He wondered how Rei got to be so good at lying and why he was suddenly lacking it. "Come on, it has something to do with what I said."

He didn't want to tell her about the fortune-teller just yet because then he would have to explain why he believes her. "It just hit me that I've never seen Rei like that other than in a Beyblade match."

"You do have a point there. I'm sure he'll be alright. He just needs to calm himself down before coming up."

"Right." They were just enjoying each other company.

Rei didn't come up until it was really late at night. He was glad that none of his friends noticed that his nails grew longer. He didn't even realize that he tapped into Byakko's power until Kai placed his hand on his shoulder. Rei went to the front of the ship and was listening to the waves breaking against the ship, noticing that his hearing was kin.

He heard footsteps behind him but he couldn't tell from whom. They weren't stealthy so it had to have been one of his friends since they were walking towards him.

"We need to talk." It was Kai. Rei thought that he would be the last person up. Then he rethought and knew that Tyson would fit that spot a lot better.

"If anything happened to those losers, it wasn't my fault. I was in the storage room the whole time."

He came up next to him, "I wasn't talking about them. I want to know what 'inner beast' that you're holding."

Rei looked at him to see that Kai was looking out into the darkness, the darkness on his face making it hard to read. Rei looked out there too, "What are you talking about? Unless you mean Driger."

"Don't play dumb with me. I understood a few words that fortune-teller said to you. You're holding some inner beast and it will break lose. What was she talking about?"

Rei understood that she didn't want Kai to know. Then he remembered that Kai's distant past would resurface soon. Could understanding Mandarin be part of it? "How did you understand what she said?"

"I don't know but I understood so tell me what she was talking about."

"I will tame it, don't worry. I haven't had it that long to work with it so give me time."

"Who gave it to you and why are you keeping it a secret?"

"You don't need to worry about it Kai. It's my problem and I'll handle it." He started to walk away, he wanted to tell him but he couldn't. Gaining Byakko was the reason he left.

"Rei." Rei stopped but either turned to face the other. "Is the beast a curse?"

"No."

"Why did you gain this beast?"

"That has to be a secret."

"Can you tell me who gave it to you?"

"Wu."

"Is Wu the one that got hurt?"

"Yes."

"Letting you now that you scared Jade so be careful when you use it."

"I will. Thanks Kai for not pressuring me to tell you."

"I kept Dark Dranzer from you guys."

"Is that an 'I owe you one' deal?"

"I have other things to worry about then what's wrong with you." Kai said as he walked ahead of Rei.

Rei was wondering if he was hurt that he didn't tell him. Of course he wanted to tell him but he was supposed to protect him secretively. He looked up at the sky to see the stars lightening up the darken sky. He could read that they were moving out of Seiryu's territory and into Suzaku. He walked back to his room and mediated the whole night.

Before the sun rose, Rei was practicing to stay in shape. When he finished, he heard footsteps. He turned around to see that Jade was walking towards him.

"_Ohayo_! Why are you up this early?"

"I should be asking you that. I thought you would be with Kai."

"I am but for a guy with a former cold demeanor, he sure takes care of his looks."

"I was once told that the hair makes a man." Kai said as he wrapped his arms around her.

"What if I steal all of your hair spray?" She said with a playful tone.

"I will find it." Rei smiled to himself, glad to see the fear that Kai once held gone.

"Well, we better get to the dinning room before Tyson wakes up." Rei said.

"He shouldn't be up for hours." Jade said.

"That might not be true now."

"Fine." She got out of Kai's arms and started running, "Last one there has to serve Tyson!"

Both of them were confused but ran after her just the same. They both entered the hall at the same time.

"I guess that means that both of you have to serve Tyson's breakfast this morning." Jade said with a smile.

"Since when?" Kai asked.

"You were the last one here that was in the contest. Don't worry, I have the perfect outfits for you two to wear but let's eat."

They both could tell that Jade was in a happier mood than before but either one could figure out why.

"By the way, you didn't mention why you were up so early." Jade said as they were eating together.

"I was practicing some martial arts that are known in my village. I don't want to get rusty so I decided to practice." He was glad to see Kai happy. He knew right then that he was hurt inside about last night so Rei knew that he has to let Kai know more about himself and his past for them to start their road of friendship. "Kai, who told you that hair makes a man? I wouldn't think that you would still be listening to your grandfather after the World Tournament."

There was shock in his eyes. Kai knew that his Grandfather didn't tell him this and neither did Boris or any of the Demolition Boys. He didn't know who told him that.

"Is something wrong?" Jade asked.

"One of my old Street Sharks' friends told me that."

"Street Sharks?" Rei asked.

"Yea, we were the toughest Beyblade Gang in our area."

"I knew you were tough but I didn't think you were in a gang. What happened to them?"

"Krypton broke them somehow."

"Can you shed some light on that?" Rei looked at Jade. He noted that Kai was glad that they were getting off the fact that he was shocked at the beginning.

"We didn't want Kai to abandon the team again so we made sure he only had the BladeBreakers to turn to for support."

"Was it easy to convince them?" Kai asked.

"Not really but I'm good at that."

"What's done is done." Rei said and Kai nodded, showing Jade that he's not mad at her for doing so.

"Thanks."

"Now, is there any particular reason you're in a super good mood this morning or should I not even ask?" That made both blush which made Rei laugh, knowing that both were thinking the same thing.

"It's not that!" Jade defended loudly.

"I know but you both turned red at the same time." He said through his laughter.

"Glad to give you some amusement." Kai said in a cold fashion but it only made Rei laugh more, knowing that it was a threat to make him stop.

"Sorry about that. Now, what is the reason?" Rei asked once he calmed down.

"This is my first trip in a long time. We used to move around all the time. Anyway, since we're done, you two have to dress up now. Don't worry, I'll wake him up now so no one sees you."

"You were serious about that?" Kai asked as she got him out of the seat.

"Yep."

"It's not like you have any control over me." Rei said.

"So you're going to let your leader go at this alone? I thought you were more loyal than that."

Both now understood how she could convince the Street Sharks that Kai wasn't with them anymore. Rei got up and followed along. She was going through her things and brought out two Chinese dresses. One of them had red thread phoenixes with a black background on it and the other had jade green thread flowers with a silvery pearl color background.

"Were you planning this?" Rei asked as she handed him the flower one and Kai the phoenix.

"Not really. I had them since Mr. Dickenson wants me to go to some conferences with him. Though I am adding my own flare to these, I haven't started yet so you guys can put them on."

"I am not wearing this." Kai said with firmness in his voice.

"Can we at least wear pants underneath?" Rei asked.

"Nope and it's not an option. I'll come back when Tyson's ready." She walked out and both heard her locking the door.

"For someone who can't fight, she's good at torture." Rei said with humor.

Kai laid the dress on the bed, "She can't make us wear them."

"Trapping us does put a dint in your plan."

"Are you really going through with it?"

"She's not going to let us out unless we comply."

"She's not like her brother."

"Her brother would torture us openly. Remember, they only have each other for a long while now so they have to be similar."

"They have their parents as well."

"That's right. I thought she would've told you."

"What?"

"While you were battling Krypton, Jade told me that their parents and their aunts and uncles were all killed. They saw their mother's final moments and since that day, they've been alone."

"I didn't know."

"Did you know that Jade's right arm isn't her real one?" He looked at him, telling all Rei needed to know. "On their first night they left their house once their mother was buried, they were attacked. Jade's arm was cut off and Krypton felt responsible since he couldn't protect her. She didn't tell me what they did to her but I'm sure that she doesn't really want to face it too much."

"And here I thought he was just being selfish."

"Every story has two sides. So, why don't we make this the best trip that Jade has ever been on?" Rei held up the dress.

"Fine."

Rei was having an easier time putting on the dress since it wasn't that different from what he normally wore other than that it's a tighter fit. He was surprised that he was able to fit in it since normally, at least in his village, they were made to fit the owner of the dress. He was fortunate enough that Kai didn't want him to see his struggle since Rei wasn't sure how he was going to explain his tattoo on his back and why Dranzer is there.

Rei could hear Kai's voice but didn't understand what he was saying. He was playing around with the translator but realized that it was only for speaking and not hearing. Since he's not that good with technology, he figured that he should let Kenny play around with it to see if he could put a hearing thing in it.

"I'm not coming out!" Kai exclaimed from what seemed out of the blue.

"Why?" Rei asked, he could hear that Jade wasn't coming yet so they still had time.

"I'm the leader of this team and I'm not going out in public looking like this!"

"I am curious as to what is taking Jade so long to get back. The only thing I can think of is that she's having some difficulty waking Tyson up. Or she wants the others to see us as well."

"I'm not coming out!"

"Be glad that she didn't request make-up and jewelry."

Rei heard excited footsteps coming towards their room. The lock was opened and Jade came in.

"That looks really good on you Rei."

"What took you so long?"

"Tyson wasn't getting the idea that he had to wait."

"Is Tyson the only one out there?" Jade handed him a blanket.

"No, Max and Kenny were there by the time I got him up from bed. No one else is there and I requested that they made sure of that. I don't want to embarrass you two too badly."

"Then you better convince your boyfriend. Unless he locked himself in the bathroom."

"He's not a fun-loving person, is he?"

"Not on a normal basis."

Jade strolled over to the door and turned the knob but couldn't push it open. "Kai, please come out."

"I'll leave if you want me to." Rei offered, knowing that he would see him in either case.

"Rei, leave."

Rei got put and close the door, then wrapped the blanket over his shoulders. He realized that his normal outfit was still in the room but that's okay since all he needed was his belt since he has to be on-guard on the ship. He listened in on what they were talking about. Jade was convincing Kai in a seductive way and he was trying to be stubborn it but it wasn't working. Rei knows that women can be very clever when they want to be.

A few minutes after Rei hid his rod within the dress, they came out and Kai had the other blanket wrapped around him.

"Let's go." Jade said with a smile.

In the dinning hall, Tyson and them were on the farther side of the room but it was still empty. Rei thought it was odd that no one even tried to get something to eat until he looked at the schedule to see that there was something interesting this morning and noted that it was during the time that they were locked in Jade's room.

"Don't tell me you made me wait to see them have a blanket wrapped around them?" Tyson said in annoyance, making Kai hate this deal even more. He didn't want to do this but he got pulled into it anyway. Though it was ironic that he was even arguing the issue since in the past he would've just walked away.

"Max, Kenny, please make sure that no one is here and I'll do everything else."

They got up and reported that no one was here. Jade went around and locked all the doors and covered the windows, fulfilling her promise that only they would see this show and no one else.

"Okay, this morning we had a race and the deal was the last person to get here had to serve Tyson his breakfast."

"So that's why you made me starve?"

"Correct."

"So who won?" Max asked.

"They wouldn't be wrapped with a blanket if they won. Now, if any of you make fun of them or abuse this privilege, I will hurt you. Okay boys, it's show time." Jade said with excitement.

Rei took off the blanket, feeling like a male stripper, and bowed to Tyson in a traditional Japanese way. Kai did the dramatic removal of a cape and glared to show that he will stop if they said a word. Rei was wondering if they both had female like figures or if Jade's body was like theirs since the other dress seemed to mold to fit Kai's body, similar to his.

Everyone was too shock to speak and then too afraid to comment. There were a thousand things going through their heads that they could've said but didn't. Tyson realized that they were supposed to be waitresses but he wasn't sure if he should tell them to bring him the food or was he supposed to ask. He understood what Jade meant by abusing the privilege since he could've made them do anything. Though revenge then came to mind so he was thinking about what do to about this situation.

"Max, Kenny, you two can't ask for anything other than something to drink." Jade said.

"When does this start?" Tyson asked.

"Now."

"Okay… Could you two bring me two plates full of anything you can fit on them?" He asked in a quiet way.

Kai just went over, not saying a word.

"Right away." Rei bowed before going over, not understanding why he wants to enjoy this weird show.

They filled two plates full of food before bring it over to Tyson, with Kai just laying it on the table and Rei placing with care. Tyson ate it without a second thought as Max asked for some juice and Kenny for some milk. Rei got it for them since Kai just glared at Rei, half saying for him to get it. Jade was sitting with them and she was smiling at this, making Kai wonder if there was a hidden purpose to this.

Tyson, after a few more plates, started to get use to the idea that they were serving them and Kai was getting a little comfortable. After a while, Tyson declared that he was full. Jade told them that they could get their normal clothing on and to meet them in the storage room.

"That wasn't too bad." Rei said as they were walking back with the blankets wrapped around them. There were many more people on the deck now and Kai was looking pissed again.

"I can't believe that she made us do this."

"At least no one else was there and it's not going to be an everyday thing."

"That's not the point."

"I am surprise that we were able to fit in these though." Rei said as he closed the door to Jade's room.

"Why's that?" Kai asked in front of the bathroom door.

"These are normally made to fit the girl's body. Did it fit nicely when you first put it on?" Kai narrowed his eyes. "I'm not asking if you liked it, I'm wondering if it was a tight fit or not, mine wasn't tight."

"Same here so what are you trying to say?" His voice hinted that Rei better chose his words carefully.

"That we most likely have the same body type as Jade, that or she was planning on this the whole time." Rei was already taking off the dress and making sure that Kai didn't see his back. He also made sure that the movements he did look natural.

Kei went into the bathroom so Rei started to put on his clothing. After a few minutes, Kai came out with his normal outfit.

"Let's go." He said in his commanding voice and so they left the room to meet them in the storage room.

Kai was ready to glare at them but none made a comment as they came walking down stairs.

"How was it?" Jade whispered as he came over to her and wrapped his arms around her.

"Explain why you did that." His cheek was on her side forehead.

"Okay, you wanted to explain when they got here." Max said, reminding them that the others were there.

"The reason why I made Kai and Rei wear dresses was because they lost a deal we made this morning. Originally I wanted to see Kai in a dress so he would've worn it either way. Rei just happened to be with us at the time that I made the deal so he was dragged along. As they were changing, I thought that it was the perfect way for you guys to bond since Kai hates opening up." She leaned into him more and he tightened his hold.

"So I was an innocent bystander?" Rei asked.

"Yep, pretty much."

"I can't say anything about it now."

"Do you want us to battle the other people on this ship?" Tyson asked, getting edgy.

"Watch the others, only if someone is promising then battle them."

"Then I'll see you later." Tyson got up and ran out.

"I might as well take a swim." Max said as he followed Tyson's lead. Kenny got up and followed them.

"Jade, did you find Kai's size for the dress or are they really yours?" Rei asked once the others left.

"They're mine, why?"

"Just wondering. See ya later." He got up and went upstairs, wondering if they had a female figure or not.

"What was that about?" Jade looked at Kai once she heard the door close.

"He told me that those are normally made to fit a girls' body."

"Really? Did they fit?" She asked like she didn't know.

"They did." He loved the way he held her.

"You did look good in it. Thanks for going along with it." She leaned onto his face and body.

"Rei told me that you lost your parents."

"But I still have Krypton and now I have you." Kai kissed her forehead before they had a long, deep kiss.

Rei went to go see what Tyson was doing. He was watching the group and no one was even a challenge to them. He was hoping that Kaiba's team was going to give them a challenge.

"Hey, didn't see you there." Tyson said as he looked back.

"I wasn't trying to make myself noticeable. None are really that good." He said quietly so the other bladers couldn't hear him.

"I know and it's really sad that we can't have any fun with them."

"You're actually going to be listening to her?"

"If I don't then I'll have the wrath of Kai on my back. Unless I somehow have never been there to see it, I don't really want to know what that wrath is."

Rei just then realized that they have never really seen Kai angry with them, "That is a good point. This is their first time in love so I think we have to be careful what comments we make."

"Why did you agree to the deal this morning?"

"Don't really know. I just thought that it would be fun. I mean, I have a job as a waiter in China and I cook in Japan."

"So I see. Well, since there's no action for me here, I'm hitting the buffet. Catch you later Rei." Tyson ran up to the deck.

Rei watched the bladers battle each other, all of them having fun. That's what the sport is all about and he wondered if Jade and Krypton took that part out for them. Was she right in saying that they would think all other battles were pointless?

After a few days, they landed in Australia. Rei was taking pictures since he still had the portal camera that he bought in China. Though he hadn't made up his mind on whether to send it to both Wu and Lee or just one of them.

The bus took them to the airport since the tournament was going to be held in Mount Isa. Unfortunately for them, they were spread apart from each other but still in the same cabin. Since they arrived in the country pretty late in the day, their flight was taken during the night. There were no lights in the cabin or outside when Rei started to hear heavy breathing, though many were sleeping. Rei got up but stayed low to the ground and went to the source of the noise to find that it was Jade.

"Are you okay?" Rei asked, then remembering that she has a fear of darkness.

"I'm fine." She sounded nervous and her eyes were dashing everywhere.

"Do you know where Kai's sitting?"

"No."

He took off his necklace and made it glow a bit before handing it to Jade. Her breathing was a bit normal and her eyes weren't scared, "I'm going to go find him. Keep this with you until I get back."

"Did Krypton tell you?" She asked as he was walking away.

"You did faint as we were going over so I wanted to make sure that you were okay."

"Thanks."

Rei went looking through all the rows for Kai. He finally found him at the front, sleeping like he wasn't fully. Rei made sure not to disrupt the other passengers since he was in the middle of all them. "Kai?" Rei whispered.

He opened his eyes slowly before looking at him, "What?" He didn't sound please being awakened early in the morning.

"Jade wants to talk to you about something. There's an empty seat next to mine so you two can sit there."

That brought Kai out of his daze and he followed Rei back to Jade.

"Rei told me that you wanted to talk to me about something." Kai asked in a manner that Rei has never heard before, he was sincerely concern about the situation.

"I… I have this phobia of the dark."

Kai now understood why Rei offered his seat and the next to it. "I'll stay with you." He got up and Jade did the same, glancing at the girl next to her with an eyepiece cover over her eyes. "Rei, where are you sitting?"

"Follow me." Rei led them to his seat and Kai allowed Jade to sit where Rei was since it was on the aisle.

"Where are you going to sit?" Kai asked since Jade fell asleep really fast. That's when Kai noticed that Jade was loosely holding something that was shining.

"I'll sit where Jade was."

"What's in her hands?" Kai couldn't really see it and guess that Rei might know what it is.

"She can return it to me when we land." He said with a smile before walking away.

Kai petted her face, glad to know that Rei didn't tell him about her fear. He guessed that Rei really wants them to be happy, maybe even Krypton.

"Thanks a ton Rei." Jade said as they were waiting for Mr. Dickenson to show up. Tyson was far out onto the street, looking left and right for him.

"Not a problem." She handed back the necklace and he clipped it back on.

"Why do you wear a good luck cat?" Jade asked, now able to see what it was.

"Yoma gave it to my kinsmen and she gave it to me." Rei had to remember that only Kai knows her name.

"Here he comes!" Tyson exclaimed, getting his teammates attention.

Mr. Dickenson came out of a limo and smiled at them. "Glad to see that you made it. So, are you boys ready for the competition?"

"We're as ready as we're going to get."

"Good to hear. Jade," He walked up to her, giving her a piece of paper, "This is the pass to come to the meeting. Now don't lose it."

"I won't." Kai noticed that Jade wasn't that close to him. He wondered if they were not supposed to show that they like each other in front of Mr. Dickenson or was it only for whatever business they had. "When is the meeting?"

"Tonight. For now, enjoy the city. I'm sure that you'll have a great time." Rei noticed that he was hiding his resentment to their deal. He wondered if a friendship forming between them was what they originally thought would be the result or was it a side effect that either really counted on.

"Where are we staying?" Kenny asked.

"My limo will take your things there and this is where you're staying." He handed all the BladeBreakers an index card with a hotel's name. "See you tomorrow." Mr. Dickenson left. The limo also left with their stuff contained in it.

"I guess we really don't have a choice." Max said.

"We might as well make sure we know where the hotel is." Rei offered, remembering a similar situation in Russia.

"Let's go." Tyson said and they headed out, looking for the hotel.

" There it is! " Max said, leading them to the hotel. Since he's an American and knows the language, he was their guide. The hotel was a wide on the outskirt of the city. It was only a one level building, taking on an ancient look.

" Here are your keys. " Said the Aborigine lady as she gives them two small envelopes.

" Thanks. " Max said and they went to the rooms. The rooms were on opposite ends of the hallway that it was obvious that Mr. Dickenson was saying something.

"+Will your plan still work+" Tyson asked, opening the farthest room that was on the wall of the perimeter. All of the BladeBreakers' items were lying in a pile on the floor. They looked in the other room before and all of Jade's stuff was there.

"He's not going to stop me."

"So who is going to have the other key?" Max asked, holding up the one that belonged to Jade's room.

"We'll leave it in this room since our suitcases are going to be in that room." Rei said, placing it in a drawer.

" Sounds good to me. +I'm going to see what kind of Beyblades are around.+" Max said and left the other key for them to decide who gets it.

"Kai, let's get a look at the town before I have to go to that conference." Jade said before they left.

"Are you going to go anywhere?" Rei asked Tyson and Kenny as he sat on a bed.

"Yea, I want to go see the natives in this land." Kenny said with excitement.

"I have nothing else better to do." Tyson said.

"Take the key then." Rei said.

"Are you going anywhere?"

"Not yet."

"Then catch you later." They went out and Rei was left to himself. Once he knew he was alone, he turned off the TV and scouted around the area. He made sure that he knew the area by heart so he knew how to move if it was needed without making a sound.

Once he got that down, he went looking for Kai and Jade. It didn't take him long since Jade was looking through small shops with a girl's eye of shopping excitement. It was clear that she hadn't bought anything since Kai's eyesight wasn't blocked by boxes or his arms heavy with bags. They seemed to have an enjoyable lunch, from what Rei saw. He made sure that they didn't see him and he could tell if they did since they would've had a questionable expression on their face.

Near nightfall, they headed back to the hotel and Rei acted like he was there the whole time, glad that no one else came back.

"I didn't think you would be here." Kai said, leaning against the wall that was near Jade's room. Rei was acting like he was getting ice.

"I didn't have anything to do. Is she getting ready for that conference?"

"Yea, but I can't be with her."

"I'm sure there's a way you can be." Rei said with a smile before continuing his way.

Kai knew that Rei had a plan on getting him in that conference. He was wondering if Rei had stay back to formulate a plan.

"What do you think?" Jade said as she came out. She was wearing a silky, shining navy blue background with silvery threaded dragons, sleeveless dress; light hue of pink veil was attached to the mouth of the silt in the dress on both sides to her ankles; a thin, violet blue metallic band with her fiery jewel engraved in it was on her right arm before her elbow; a silver string formed a belt with the other fiery jewel was still there; her earrings were loops of gold; and her hair was wrapped in a bun. She applied lightly lip-gloss on her bottom lip and dusty golden eye shadow, making her silvery eyes shine.

"You look great." Kai kissed her forehead lightly, not wanting to mess up anything she put on.

"Do you have any extra scarves?" She lightly touches the one around his neck.

"I'll go get it." He went to the other room, though not wanting to leave Jade there. He got his bag and walked back to her. He noticed that he didn't have an extra. He was wondering why, knowing that he always carried extras incase something happened to one.

"Something wrong?" Jade asked.

"I thought I brought extras." He placed the bag in the room, not really caring where it was.

"I guess that means that I can't add it to my outfit."

He took off the one around his neck, "Use this."

She smiled as she took it and wrapped the ends loosely around her forearms. "Thanks." Jade kissed him and Kai pulled her closer.

At the moment when they were about to lose all senses around them, "I'm sure that Jade is ready, Mr. Dickenson."

They heard Rei's voice in the hallway. "Get in the room." Jade said hurriedly as he complied. The door was opened so he could see what was going on but not to let the others know it.

"Oh, Jade, you look lovely. I hope that you're ready." Mr. Dickenson said as they round the corner. Kai noted that Rei had no ice in the bid that he was carrying.

"Thank you. I just need to make sure that my make-up is perfect. Wait right here." Jade came in and went over to Kai, "That was close." She whispered.

"Is there a reason as to why Mr. Dickenson can't know about us?" He placed his hands on her waist.

"It's not safe. I'll tell you the reason why as we're heading back to Japan. Wait for me." She leaned up to kiss him.

"Always." He kissed her quickly since she had to go.

She fixed her gloss before heading out of the room. "I'm ready to go." Jade said and they walked out but Rei was still in the hallway.

"I can see you." Rei said, though not facing the door.

Kai came out, knowing that he should feel embarrass but he didn't really, "How did you know I was there?"

"It wasn't that hard to figure out once Jade went into the room." He turned to face him, "Do you want to find out what they're conference is about?"

"Do you know where it is?"

"We could always follow them."

"Don't have anything else to do."

"Great, let me toss this in the room and we'll get going." Rei ran to the room and tossed the bin onto the bed that he was laying on before heading back to Kai.

"Why wasn't there any ice the bin?" Kai asked as they were running down the hall.

"I ran into Mr. Dickenson before I got to the ice machine."

"Did he tell you where they were heading?" Kai noticed that Rei was leading the way to the building.

"Yep, I thought that you would want to see what they're doing." Rei smiled, with Kai not knowing why it was affecting him. "There it is." Rei slowed down and they hid nearby.

The building looked like it would hold a secretive meeting of gangsters, and Kai would know. There weren't that many cars surrounding the building and there weren't any guards either.

"The place doesn't look secure." Kai looked around, feeling like a spy.

"That just makes it easier for us to get in and having no one noticing. Let's go." Rei moved stealthy and Kai was surprised that he was able to follow him.

Rei went to an open window and looked in before signaling that Kai should go in. Kai jumped on and listened closely to the sounds around them. The hall way was dim and there wasn't anyone around. Rei came in and moved to the right. Kai followed his lead as they traveled swiftly through the hallway, without running into anyone. Rei stopped suddenly and had to make sure that Kai didn't go past him. Kai looked down the hall that they were stopped in front of and noticed that there were guards posted around the door that was opened.

"Looks like that's where the meeting is." Rei said lowly, looking around to see if there was a place where they could listen in on the conservation. "Let's go." Rei walked forward but stayed low to the ground.

Kai followed his lead and noticed that they were heading to the vents. "Are you serious?"

"You have a better idea? We're not supposed to be here, remember."

"Whatever." They crawled through the series of tunnels before Rei pointed to the vent that was at the room.

" The meeting will now begin! " Mr. Dickenson said.

"+Looks like we made it just in time.+" Rei whispered.

Kai nodded as he looked around to see who was there. Jade was sitting next to Mr. Dickenson, who was at the head of the table. There were three other people there, Kai guessing the leaders of the major teams. One was a brown hair man that looked pissed off at everything, Kai would've sworn that he looked familiar to him but he couldn't place where. There was someone that was obviously Russian and an Australian. Jade was the only young person there.

It felt like it was a secretive meeting that they were going to raid on. The room had no pictures on the walls and there was whitish tint to it. There was a bark brown, rectangular table in the middle of the room with Mr. Dickenson at the head, Jade to his right; the Russian was in the middle left; the Australian was in the middle right; and the other man was at the end of the table. It was obvious that they were going to give more to any argument that they might have.

"He must be the owner rival." Kai whispered, pointing to the brown hair man. Rei nodded to show his agreement.

" Good evening, gentlemen. I hope that you had a fine day today. "

" What else do we need to discuss? " The brown hair Japanese said in an angry tone.

"Who is she?" The Russian asked.

"My name is Jade and I was training the BladeBreakers for this tournament."

"You had to hire a trainer for your team?" The Japanese said in a mockery tone.

"I thought you said that one of your members was going to be here." Mr. Dickenson didn't like the question.

"Her personal life was more important than this pointless meeting."

"I was hoping that they could meet each other."

"So then why were we called in?" The Australian asked.

"He didn't want to look stupid in front of me. Don't tell me you're training them for free."

"That, Kaiba-san, is none of your business. What we have arranged is only for us to know." Jade was keeping her cool, obviously not wanting to answer the question for the some reason.

"By the way, I heard that your team had to get here on foot. Did you invest so much that you have no money left?" The Australian asked, laughing a bit.

"A friend of mine requested that I should do so."

"I didn't know you had anyone that you would call a friend." Mr. Dickenson said, looking like he was taking some ground.

Kaiba-san looked at him, warning him that he's walking on thin ice, "I do have someone that I'm calling friend."

"May we know who this 'friend' is?" Kai and Rei were surprised to hear Mr. Dickenson was talking like this to someone. Both wondered if Jade knew this side since they couldn't read her for her back was toward them.

"Mr. Dickenson, don't push this subject. Let it go." Jade said. Mr. Dickenson looked at Jade with disgust look of how-dare-you-tell-me-what-to-do, but then change to worry and not liking the idea of listening to her. Kai was surprised to see him look at Jade like that; also getting angry that he did look at her like that.

"It seems like the trainer does have some financial gain to this." Kaiba-san seemed please about something.

"Kaiba-san, you don't know me and I don't know you. Let's keep it that way until something forces u to know each other." Both could hear that Jade was taking control over the conservation.

"Since this conservation isn't very important, I shall see you tomorrow. Good evening, gentlemen." The Russian said before leaving the room. The Australian, also, got up and left the room.

"+What is your stake in this team+" Kaiba-san asked.

"+Why do you care+" Jade asked.

"You don't seem the type that would take part in something without something to gain from it."

"How would you know anything about other people? I was told that you were once so closed off to other people that only your brother was your companion at the least."

"Mr. Dickenson, I didn't think you would tell her what you dug up."

"I didn't have to use him to find anything on you. I have my own sources that are more reliable than him."

"What's your family name?"

"Tomi, why?"

"I just want to know who you're parents are."

"Good luck finding them." Jade got up and left the room.

"Did I hit a nerve?" Kaiba-san didn't seem to care.

"A sensitive one. With her training, we're going to win." Mr. Dickenson said.

"Winning the championship is one thing, keeping it is another. We'll come up with rules as the tournament continues." Kaiba-san left and Mr. Dickenson left as well.

"We have to get back before they do." Rei said.

"Right."

They got out and ran as fast as they could back to the hotel. Luckily, Tyson and them weren't back from wherever they were.

"That was so unnatural." Rei said, knowing that Kai was thinking the same.

"It sounds like we're being betted on." Kai was laying on the bed that was closest to the window.

"We have to make sure that we act like we weren't there."

"I don't think you could hide something like that."

"You'll just have to try. I think Jade could read you a lot better than we can."

"And why can't she read you?"

"Maybe she's allowing it to slide with me."

The door opened so suddenly that both were surprised and were ready to fight.

"Hey guys!" Tyson said as they came in.

"Where's Jade?" Kenny asked.

"She hasn't come back from the meeting." Kai said, now realizing that she should've been back by now.

"So how was your date?" Tyson asked in a playful tone.

"You don't need to know, Tyson." Tyson, Max, and Kenny turned around as Rei and Kai looked beyond them to see Jade smiling warmly; still wearing the outfit she left in.

"Why are you dressed up?" Max asked.

"I just came back from the conference." She walked pass them and sat down with Kai. He could fell that she was stressed about something and wanted his comfort.

"So what's up? Anything we should know?" Tyson asked.

"I hate Kaiba-san." Rei and Kai wondered if something else happened to her when they weren't there.

"Why?"

"The meeting was just so I could analyze their team's strength to prepare you guys better. The member of his team had something personal to do that was more important than the meeting. It was awful so could I please jut go to bed?"

"Yea, we'll put our stuff in the room later." Max said.

Jade got up and left the room.

"We better get ready for bed ourselves." Rei said.

"Why?" Tyson asked but then remembered, "Oh yea."

Everyone took a shower, minus Rei since he would take one in the morning, and was ready for bed by the time Jade came back in.

"Was it that awful?" Kai whispered softly into her ear a bit after the lights were turned off. He could tell that she wasn't sleeping and the others were.

"I don't want him to know my past and I'm sure that he'll find out."

"How can he find something on you?" Kai pulled her in closer, knowing that she gave him her last name.

"I gave him my last name… There was something else but I don't want to talk about it."

Kai kissed her forehead, thinking that it might be something about Mr. Dickenson, "It's okay. Get some sleep."

"I love you." She hugged him tightly as she fell asleep.

Rei was the first one that was up. He did his morning excises before finding where they were keeping their breakfast.

"WHAT! WE HAVE TO GO TO THE CITY TO GET OUR BREAKFAST!" Tyson yelled once they were able to get him up.

"I don't see what the problem is. We have money." Jade said, wearing blue flip-flops, light green leather skirt, sleeveless light blue shirt with her red jewel attached to it, she had the same metal band on her right arm as yesterday, and had crystal, hang-down earrings.

"Luckily we found an all-you-can-eat buffet." Kenny said.

"Do they have breakfast?" Rei asked.

"Yep. We better get going before they change to lunch." Max said.

They went to the restaurant and that made Tyson happy again.

"Man that was great! Just like yesterday!" Tyson said as they were walking back.

"What day is the tournament?" Kenny asked Jade, who was wrapped in Kai's arms.

" Hold up! " They heard a new voice called out. They saw a kid wearing a dark umber brown with a golden, inline border jacket thing; white pants, yellowish golden belt; and black hair with golden bangs and on the tips of the spikes.

They thought that he was running towards someone near them so they continued to walk, but he jumped onto Rei, almost knocking him down.

"+What are you doing+" Rei asked, trying to push him off his side.

They heard someone yelling something in another language. The kid looked back at the person that was yelling. Rei looked to see it was the Indian on the Yami Hunters, Vasuki. He was wearing a dark green tank top; blue pants and light black shoes. His brown cape was flapping behind him. The kid said something to him and he looked pissed before sighing.

"+I'm sorry, my young, overactive friend thinks you're someone. Could you please tell us your name+"

"+I'm surprised that you don't recognize me. I'm Rei from the BladeBreakers.+"

"HA! I TOLD YOU I WAS RIGHT!" The kid said before getting off Rei.

"Are you a fan or something?" Rei looked at him.

":I'm Wu's friend:" He said in Chinese.

" Is that all you know? " Rei asked in English.

" Yep. " He had a big smile. "+Hey, you need to meet the others+"

"+What's your name+"

"I'm Vayu and this is my greatest friend, Vasuki."

"Greatest?"

"Yep, I have a best friend already."

"Hey, why don't you guys some to campsite? I'm sure that no one would really mind." Vasuki offered.

"Campsite?" Kenny asked.

"Yea, Kaiba-sama is following someone's suggestions for this trip. As a matter of fact, that person suggested that the two teams should meet."

"I don't want to see him again." Jade said.

"Then don't come. It would save time setting up a meeting through Mr. Dickenson."

"Give us a minute." Tyson said and they gathered in a circle. "Well?"

"I say no." Jade said flatly.

"I'm going either way." Rei said.

"Why?" Max asked, "It's not like you really need to."

"Vayu is a friend of the kinsmen that I visited. I want to meet her friends."

"We can't let him go by himself." Tyson said, looking at Jade.

"Fine, since it has to do with her." She said that softly but it was obvious that she didn't like the idea.

"We're going with you." Rei said.

"Great." Vasuki brought out a cell phone and hit only one button. "Kaiba-sama, you don't have to arrange a meeting with Mr. Dickenson. They're going to come back with us…………… See you then." He hung up, "Follow me."

He led them through the city, going to the outskirts of it. They were a good mile away before seeing a campsite. Everyone was impressed that they were living out here, in the extreme heat no less.

"Welcome BladeBreakers. I am Kaiba Seto."

"These are our competition?" Asked the Iraqi girl. She was wearing a deep, dark green sleeveless shirt that showed her stomach; dark grayish sleeve things that didn't hide her hands; deep, dark blue long skirt that was cut at a slant; and light reddish shoes.

"Be nice to them. They're our guest here." Said the Egyptian. She was wearing a darkish yellow vest with only one button tying it together; sparkle reddish, yellowish skirt and dull red yellow boots. There was a guy next to her that had aqua blue green hair with orange at the tip of the spikes; red, muscular tank top; green shorts and sandals.

"I thought that we were going to set up an official meeting?" Asked the Chilean. His outfit, long sleeve shirt under a short and shorts, was different shades of gray, including his shoes.

"Well, obviously the plans had changed." Said the Greek. He was wearing a duller reddish yellowish T-shirt; yellow orange pants and green shoes. All of the team members had brown capes on them that would barely show their feet. A young boy with jet-black hair, an aqua green short sleeve jacket with a normal green shirt underneath and dark green shorts was standing next to him.

":Hey, you must be Rei.:" Said the male Egyptian in Cantonese.

":I'm please to meet you.:" Rei said in the same dialect.

":Why don't you introduce us to your friends:" Said the black hair boy.

"+Would you please stop talking in a language we cant' understand! I swear, you do it to get on my nerves.+" Yelled the Greek to him.

"+Sorry, you know that I know a lot of languages. My name is Homer and I'm Italian, or Roman depending if you want region.+"

"I'm Bastetka from Egypt." He said for all to understand.

"And you probably already know that I'm an Indian." Vayu said.

"I'm Rei Kon from China for the Yami Hunters."

"Since we're doing introductions, I'm Neith from Egypt."

"Ereshki from Iraq."

"Tezcatli from Chile."

"I'm Cassander from Greece."

"I'm Tyson."

"Max."

"Kenny."

"Jade."

"Kai." Kai and Rei noticed that Kaiba-san looked shock when he noticed Kai. Rei looked at Kai and he had a question on his face as well.

"Well," Rei said, getting rid of the silence, "It's an honor to meet all of you. :Bastetka, did Wu give you anything:"

He wasn't looking at him but at Kai, ":Yes, we got the item that you sought. Would you like to have them now or later:"

":I want to give them to my friends. Oh, is there a device that can make you understand the words of a foreign language that you don't know:"

":Wu thought that you would want that as well, once realizing that the device you had was limited:" Homer said.

"+Hey, why don't we have lunch+" Vayu said in Japanese, holding up a pot and pan.

"+Oh yea! Now you're talking+" Tyson said.

"We can't feed five cows." Tezcatli said as Tyson was eating at an abnormal rate.

"Don't worry, that's why Bastetka had to bring his own food." Neith said, placing a hand on his head.

"Jade, please, have some." Bastetka said, handing her a bowl of food that he made. Kai didn't like how he was looking at her.

"Thanks." Jade said coldly, taking it but not eating it.

Neith hit him on the head and yelled something to him. Bastetka blinked while looking at her, then back at them before saying something to her. She got pissed and hit him on the head again. Then she started to yell something at him again.

"So that's your stake." Kaiba-san said and she stopped yelling.

"What are you talking about?" Jade asked, narrowing her eyes.

"I understand that you don't like him but don't you dare narrow your eyes at Kaiba-sama." Neith said with warning.

"Neith, don't start something." Bastetka pled. "Please, don't mind her too much. Kaiba-sama picked her up first for his team."

"That doesn't excuse her for her attitude." Jade said.

"Maybe if you didn't narrow your eyes, you wouldn't feel like hating her." Homer said.

Kaiba-san said something to Neith and she sat down. "Jade, have you become attached? I was told that you weren't supposed to."

That shocked all the BladeBreakers, including Rei. Now they understood why Jade didn't want Mr. Dickenson to know about her and Kai.

"What are you going to do about it? Mr. Dickenson wouldn't believe you."

"He might start to get worry but I'm not that heartless anymore." Kai wasn't buying it. He could tell that with this information, he would use it as blackmail. "You may stay here if you wish." He got up and walked away from the camp and the city.

"Where's he going?" Kai asked in an angry tone.

"That's none of your consider." Neith said.

"It does when it involves my team."

"He's not going to call that old man if you're worried about that. He could careless if Jade is in love with you. There's something else on his mind and he's going to ask for some advice on it."

"But there's no one that way." Max pointed out.

Rei felt a shift in the air, coming from where Kaiba-san was standing. He was too far away from him to see what he was doing but knew that it wasn't through a cell phone.

"Rei, I need to talk to you alone for a moment." Rei looked at Bastetka and he looked serious.

"Sure." They got up and walked to the edge of the camp. "What is it?"

"Wu told me about your new tiger and the same with Yoma. You really need to use it wisely."

"Why say that?" His voice was of curiosity and not of hate.

"I might not be as powerful as Wu or them," he looked back at the group, "But I can sense that you were using Byakko's powers and yet there isn't a level of trust. He has to like you or else he might go against you."

Rei's eyes widened, hearing the warning again. "I'll… try my best."

"Sorry for scaring you but Wu loves you like a brother. I care for her like one myself now so I don't want to see her worry over her own blood."

"That means a lot to me but you can't read her like I can."

"I know but she knows she can talk to me about anything on her mind. She might not have told you this but she was almost seduced by a spirit."

"She was? That doesn't seem like her. Especially since she likes Yoma so much."

"And it was him that brought her out of it but she almost ended up living with that spirit. That whole time, it was a grand adventure that we all gain something from."

"I can tell. So why did you go on the trip? Wu went because of me and Yoma went because of his mother."

"My family is a well-known healer of our country in the ancient past. There was this special healing lake that we heard existed beyond the sea. Once Rome came and took over, some of our family went up there to find that lake but none came back. When AD began, my family simply gave up on the search. I wanted to find that lake and finish that quest."

"That's very noble of you. Did you succeed?"

"I sure did. Oh, tell Kai that Neith is very interested in Kaiba-san."

"Wait, why are you now saying –san?"

"Around Neith, I have to say –sama or she'll hit my back. Everyone is grateful to him since they have become stronger bladers. Neith likes to think of it as destiny, a Digital Destiny is what she calls it."

"Digital Destiny? Why?"

"Don't know, it might have something to do with a guy that was with Kaiba-san when he first came to our village. He was a lot happier than Kaiba and was able to spot Neith's gift. She's the only one that knows why the team was started and she hasn't even told me anything about it."

"You two best friends?"

"Oh yea, we grew up together."

"I will find a way to tame Byakko. Do you have the devices?"

"Oh yea, Homer gave them to me as I was serving lunch."

"So that's what he gave you."

"You saw?... Oh, I guess I forgot so quickly." He handed him two small flat circles of metal. "Place one in each ear. Originally you had to say what language you wanted to hear but Kaiba modified them so it goes with your thoughts."

"Does he know Egyptian or are they speaking in another language?" Rei started to put them in.

"He knows Egyptian. I'm not sure why though."

Rei changed the speakers to Egyptian and his hearing aid to it as well. "I want to test this out." He said in his tongue.

"One, two, three."

"Good. So we better get back to the group."

"Before we go," Rei turned to face him, "They told me that you were protecting your leader, Kai. I understand that means that you'll protect Jade as well so do you want me to tell Neith to lay off? She'll understand."

"You know that Yoma is a ninja, right?"

"It wasn't hard to guess but he did tell me before I came here."

"Ninjas need to move in secrecy, it's how they operate."

"I understand. We won't tell then." He walked ahead of him.

"We?" That got Rei nervous.

"Homer and Vayu know about your mission as well. I'm betting that everyone knows by now."

"I guess as long as Krypton doesn't know about it, it's alright." Rei turned off his speakers since he really didn't need it.

"That was pretty long." Neith said in their tongue.

"I know his sister."

"You didn't go anywhere with her, did you?"

"Of course not. His sister is Wu."

"Wu? Oh, her." Kaiba-san came walking back. "Kaiba-sama, is something the matter?"

"Don't worry about it. I'll tell you later."

"Right."

"+BladeBreakers, do you want to stay+" Kaiba-san asked in Japanese so Rei turned off the hearing aid.

"+Give us a minute.+" Tyson said as everyone got up and formed a circle. "This could be our chance to learn more about their technique."

"Yea, we could see them practice and find a perfect way to defeat them." Kenny added.

"Jade, it's all up to you." Max said.

"Rei, did you get all you needed from Bastetka?" Jade asked with hate in her eyes.

"Jade, if you don't want to stay you can go. I glad that you were patient enough to handle this but I will understand if you don't want to be around Kaiba-san."

"So you're going to abandon us like before?" Tyson asked, anger in his eyes.

"I'm curious about their past."

"There's a saying that curiosity killed the cat." Max said.

"They were there for Wu when she went through that trial on the ship. I want to know why they went on that trip."

"What's the point in knowing their past?" Jade asked.

"Knowing the past means you know them today. You get an understanding on why they act and say things. Plus, they want to know Wu's family from her native village."

"Fine, if you want to go soul searching, you can do it without us. See ya at the tournament!" Tyson said as they left.

Jade was about to leave when she noticed that Kai wasn't moving. She looked at him, "Kai? Aren't you leaving as well?" That made Tyson and them to turn around to look at him. He was looking straight at Rei with no emotion on either face.

":Kai, Jade needs you.:" Rei said in simple Chinese. Kai understood the words and Rei could tell that Jade didn't.

"+I thought I would be the first to leave a team member behind and you would be the last, Tyson.+"

"Hey, it's his choice to stay or leave!"

"Just like it was his choice at the World Championship."

"How dare you compare the two? This is nothing like that!"

"Maybe not to us." Kai could sense that Rei wanted to know about the 'inner beast'. Not to mention that Rei wanted to know about her friends. "He's afraid that this will break the team and I can't let that happen."

Rei was wondering where he was getting at, he knew what he was doing was hurting their friendship with the others but right now, Kai's friendship is more important. He could see that the others waiting, looking worried and confused.

"Jade, tell your boyfriend that this is Rei's choice." Rei noticed that Tyson wasn't acting like himself right now. Though that was only hurting him since he is still their friend.

"Kai, please, let's got back to the hotel." Jade pled.

Kai placed his forehead on hers as he closed his eyes, "Jade, I love you but I can't leave him here. You wanted me to call them friends and you wanted Rei to have a reason to come back." He whispered.

"But Tyson needs to know that you're still a team."

"Rei gave up his village for the sport." Kai opened his eyes, "As friends, we must allow him to give up blading."

Jade kissed his chin, "The tournament starts tomorrow. I'll see you then." She walked towards Tyson, shocking them. "We'll see them tomorrow. Kaiba!" She looked at him with a warning look on her face, "I'm leaving two of my members in your hands. If I don't see them tomorrow or they join your side, as soon as you lay one foot on the soil of Japan, you will die."

"I'll keep that in mind." Kaiba didn't seem worried about it and the same with his team.

"Rei, you better come back." Jade said, looking at him with anger.

"I'm not going to quit the team." He said with a smile.

She continued walked forward and they followed. Rei and Kai could sense her hurt.

"We'll set up a tent for you." Ereshki said. Her and Tezcatli got up and started to set up two tents. Vayu started playing something on a golden flute that was now hear his mouth. They came over and joined them.

"If I made her leave, sorry." Neith said to Kai.

"Don't worry about it."

"Homer, why did you go on that trip?" Rei asked.

"You mean the one where I met Wu?"

"Yea."

"To gain more knowledge."

"But you're like an encyclopedia." Cassander said, "How could you miss something?"

"You don't want to know what he did to gain the infinite knowledge he was craving for." Vayu said with a smile on his face. Homer narrowed his eyes but then smiled back.

"And you, Vayu?"

"Huh? Oh, I wanted to have fun."

"That does sound like you." Vasuki said.

"Why did all of you leave your home countries? Unless Kaiba-san doesn't want us to know." Kai didn't like how Kaiba-san was studying him.

"Kaiba-sama discovered me first," Neith looked like she was joyously remembering their meeting like it was her dream come true; "I was practicing in the hands of sun during the highest point. Suddenly, I see two objects coming towards me. I thought they were creatures from…" She looked at Kaiba-san, seeing that he didn't want to hear her wording, "From fiction but I wasn't scared. When they came closer, one asked my name and if I wanted to be the first member of a future powerful team. I had no second thoughts of leaving my homeland to follow Kaiba-sama where he directed."

"That didn't answer my question." He was annoyed that she gave a story of how they met.

"Yea, not to mention that you were barely wearing anything when they saw you." Bastetka said with a smile. Neith hit him on the back and he fell to the ground. "What was that for?"

"I was trying not to tell them that!"

Kaiba-san got up and walked towards the city, "I'll be back."

When he was gone, Rei asked, "What was that about?"

"Kaiba-sama is very strict when it comes to how we knew that we were to follow him. It's because of his friend that he actually allows us to use them in his presence."

"Then give your answer." Kai said.

"In our mythology, he is the priest of Seth and I'm like the reincarnation of Neith. He's the dark god and I'm the first that gave birth to evil and good. When I was young, I had visions that told me when two figures of darkness with one riding on a white dragon come to me for guidance, I must follow."

"Who is the other person and why isn't that person here?" Rei asked.

"Kaiba-sama wants us to meet him when he comes back from the heavens."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Kai was getting annoyed.

"She means that he's an astronaut." Rei explained, "Who was next?"

"They came to Greece." Cassander said, "The reason I went with them is because I saw a long time ago that I would be called for by a servant from the Egyptian God Dog who rode a white dragon."

"Kai, Seth's head is known to be a dog." Rei explained, "Just go in order of how you were found."

"They came to Iraq after I had a vision about a white dragon coming from the sky to take me to a land of fantasy." Ereshki said.

"They landed in India next as I was practicing my family's ancient art. At the moment of their arrival, I saw that my true form was standing next to a man with a white dragon that he had tamed."

"As I was mediating, my most powerful god, and my mentor, showed me a white dragon coming towards me. At first, I thought I should be afraid of the man that had tamed the great beast but soon realized that I was to join them on this quest."

"It all sounds like something you just felt. He didn't try to win you over or anything?" Kai asked, annoyed at how poetic they tried to make the meeting sound.

"We don't need to be brought. We all have gifts that allow us to see what was to come, or powers that when something major has happened we'll know." Vasuki explained.

"Why was Neith the only one that mentioned two?" Rei asked, understanding their words a lot better than Kai.

"The other person had to leave almost as soon as they got me. I did see him fly into the heavens like it was his true calling."

"Then what's with the white dragon theme that runs through all of your stories?" Kai asked.

"Long ago, before Beyblade started to become famous and it was a time of rest, there was a game that determined the fate of the mystical realm. This game was only played by the powerfulest people of each time, but this generation regained the last king, or Pharaoh, that played this ancient art. This generation also regained the priest of that powerful dragon that is now known as the Blue Eyes White Dragon. Kaiba-sama is that priest." Neith said.

"That doesn't make any sense." Kai said plainly.

"It does if you were paying attention!" She yelled.

"What was the game called?" Rei asked.

"Duel Monsters."

Rei looked over at Kai, hearing an awkward silence from him. He looked on the surface that he wasn't caring but Rei could tell that the game's name hit a memory of his. Somewhere in his past, that game or phrase meant something to him. Rei remembered that he mentioned the name the first day he came back to them and they were talking about Kaiba-san.

"It's getting late; we should get ready for bed." Ereshki said, looking at the sky.

Bastetka put out the fire as the others were packing everything up. That's when Kai and Rei realized that they didn't have anything on them but they didn't let the others know that.

"Kai, did you remember something?" Rei asked as they were alone. He did make sure that they didn't hear them.

"What are you talking about?" Kai was really annoyed at the whole conservation but he did stay so he had to put up with it.

"When Neith mentioned Duel Monster."

"Of course not." He didn't want to tell Rei about anything that he was questioning. Though he then wondered who could he tell.

"Just wondering. By the way, did you notice how the Yami Hunters relaxed a bit once Tyson left?"

"I did. Didn't think anything of it though."

"I thought it was weird. I mean, they just met him face to face."

"It could've been his attitude." Kai knows first hand how annoying Tyson can get.

"I still think there's more to that side than what they're portraying but that's just me."

"I can't believe that they're staying with those losers." Tyson said as they entered their room.

"It was their choice to stay so we can blame them for anything." Kenny tried to calm Tyson down.

"Why didn't you persuade Kai to come along? He'll listen to you." Tyson looked at Jade.

"He used my own words against me. How could I argue that?" She was sitting on the bed that Kai was using.

"We should head to bed. We have to get up really early tomorrow." Max said and everyone just laid there in silence.

Kai was suddenly awakened by a noise outside his tent. He thought that someone was just up and was about to fall asleep when he heard his tent opening. He turned, half expecting Rei for some reason, but saw Ereshki with a knife in her hands.

Kai watched as she drew the knife at him with no emotion on her face.


	8. Chap 7 A New Reason to go to Russia part...

"KAI!" Jade yelled while sitting up on the bed. She started to breathe hard before pulling her hands to her face.

"What's the matter?" Max asked. Kenny and he were the only ones that were awaken by her scream.

"I… I think something might've happen to Kai." She said in her hands.

"What?" Kenny exclaimed.

"Maybe it's nothing." Max offered.

"Maybe. I hope so." She removed her hands and started to wish for the best but she didn't' like the feeling she was getting.

He didn't close his eyes but it took a few seconds for him to realize that he wasn't stabbed. He looked beside him to see that she had stabbed a snake with weird eyes. They were a bit big and had a black circle around it. After a few minutes, it turned into dust and floated away.

Ereshki pulled out her knife and walked out. Kai didn't know why he was so scared of her. Maybe it was the emotionless face that seems to be so real.

"What was that about?" Rei asked as Ereshki passed him.

"Why are you up?" She didn't seem to really care but asked anyway.

"I was up a good while ago. I wanted to get some practice in before breakfast. Why were you in Kai's tent?"

"There was a snake in it and I killed it. Either he has some importance to another world or the creature was getting bored but I couldn't tell. He better keep his guard up from now on." She walked away.

Rei didn't like how she phrased that so he went to check up on Kai. "Hey Kai?" He pulled back the door to see Kai stunned. Rei looked back at Ereshki, who was now no where to be found, before closing the door and sat down outside his tent.

"Rei, why are you sitting outside of Kai's tent?" Vayu asked as he passed by.

"He's not up yet so I thought I wait for him."

"That's a good little kitty!" Vayu petted Rei's head before running off.

Rei just watched him run and smiled though not knowing why. A few minutes passed before Kai came out of his tent. "Glad that you weren't too badly shocked." Rei smiled.

"What are you doing there?" He didn't like it that Rei saw him fear before another.

"I just wanted to make sure that you were okay." Rei got up. "I think they're going to give us breakfast."

They walked over to the group.

"Didn't think you would sleep in." Kaiba-san said as they came over.

"Rei, I'm sorry if I offended you with my comment." Vayu said with a bow as well as a bump on his head.

"I wasn't offended."

"Thank you Kitty." He ran quickly behind Homer, who seemed not to care that he was there. Vasuki eyed him angrily.

"Where did that come from?" Kai asked quietly as they sat down.

"I really don't know."

"You're a lot more energetic than before." Homer said, looking at Vayu.

"That's because I'm here and he tries to get away with more things." Vasuki said.

"Here." Ereshki handed Kai and Rei a plate of food. "If I scared you, sorry. I was killing a creature." She said soft and quickly before going back to her spot. Kai didn't like the fact that she saw him being scared but didn't say anything about it. He then wondered if Jade was all right.

"So when will we be leaving?" Rei asked, half done with the meal.

"As soon as we clean up. Tezcatli, it's your turn." Kaiba-san said.

"Right." With that, Kai and Rei tried to finish with their meals quickly but not like Tyson. Rei was talking to everyone that was talking. Kai just sat there, watching them.

"Are you guys going to come back here tonight?" Neith asked as Rei was washing their dishes.

"I think we should stay with our team. But thanks for the offer."

"Well, if you ever get tired of them, just come back here." She smiled before walking off.

"I hope you're not considering taking her offer." Kai said. He was standing near him.

"Of course not. I know that Jade and Tyson would be even madder if I did."

"That so far hasn't stopped you."

"Would you two like to join us for morning practice? Kaiba-sama doesn't really mind." Vasuki asked. Vayu was behind him with another lump on his head.

"Should we?" Rei was drying his hands since he was done.

"What do you do at these practices?" Kai asked.

"We just launch our blades at each other."

"But one of us wouldn't have a partner." Rei pointed out.

"Oh, not like that. It's a free for all."

"Vasuki, the first one is to determine who is going to battle first." Cassander said in a mysterious way.

"Did he… Oh, I see. Come along anyway. You get to see what our launchers look like."

"Okay, we'll watch." Kai just realized that they can get some information on how they battle.

They followed Vasuki and Cassander to the meeting spot.

"Alright. Instead of the normal practice, this is going to determine who goes first, second and third. The other two will be in one of the last remaining rounds. Cloud your minds before launching." Both Rei and Kai were confused by that.

"Three, Two, One, Let it Rip!" Vayu said with energy and they launched their blades.

Rei changed the translator and hearing aid to Egyptian, though not caring if Kaiba-san heard, "Why did he say to cloud their minds?"

Kai looked at him, wondering when he learned to speak in another tongue. Though Rei speaking in Egyptian threw Neith off focus for a small bit, everyone took advantage of it. She was knocked out of the battle and stopped spinning.

"Since each of them has a way to know the future, he wants them to not use it."

"And since we're a bit better than most Bladers, we can control our blades while not looking at it and doing other things." Neith said, walking over to them.

"Does Homer know Egyptian?" Rei asked.

"I do, why?" Homer spoke in Egyptian.

"Oh, I didn't want to change everything to Italian if I didn't need to. Do you happen to know a guy name Enrique?"

"How can I not know him? He's father invites mine all the time and he has to appear. Why do you ask?"

"It just hit me that you both come from the same country and I think city."

"We're not really neighbors but we do live in the same city."

Ereshki was knocked out but not without taking Tezcatli.

"+I didn't think you would lose.+" Neith said in Japanese as they came over.

"+Tezcatli, you're third.+" Kaiba-san said.

"Right."

"I didn't want to battle first." Ereshki said.

"Though no one could tell." Neith smiled.

"It doesn't matter. The real battles will come in the Semi-finals." Tezcatli said.

"You really think so?" Rei turned off the devices.

"Yep. Every major team will be going against some local team."

"What makes you so sure?" Kai asked.

"Call it… knowing." He looked over at Kaiba-san before choosing his word.

Cassander won the match. Kai realized that they used plain launchers.

"I thought you said we would see your launchers."

"Sorry, I guess Kaiba-sama didn't want us to use them for this." Vasuki said.

"If we did, we would never make it on time." Tezcatli said. He walked over to what Kai thought was his tent.

"Get your launchers and let's get going." Kaiba-san said as he started walking.

"Bastetka, get Ereshki and mine launchers." Neith said.

"Right." And he ran to a tent then went to another before coming back. "Here Neith." The launcher was really interesting. On the dark brown leather part that they attached to their arm had a circular mid ocean blue, dark purple with a glimmer of gold, and gray with the gray on top and blue on the bottom; the black, shiny rectangular box had two dark, blood red rectangular platform inside it that made a grove in the middle and that continued until the purple circle. On the black box, there was a red button at the other end without the opening and a blue-violet platform with golden bands arching over it; the length band ended a bit beyond mid-point with two prongs, similar to a snake. To the left of the black box was an icy blue thing that covered a small portion of that side of all three circles with an opening between the first and second; on the roof was a silver arrow thing that extended out a bit. On the right side of the opening, there was an oval forest green with a glimmer of silver attached to it with a dark bluish gray protruding out of a rectangular opening. Kai noticed that no one had a different one as they placed a deck of cards with a yellowish border and a black spot in the middle with brown surrounding it.

Kai thought that looked familiar to him but he didn't show it, "What are those?"

"These are known as Duel Monster cards." Neith said, "And no, they're not illegal to use."

"We've better get going or we might not make it." Vasuki said.

"You worry too much." Vayu said but they started to walk anyway.

Rei noticed that Tezcatli wasn't with them, "Where's Tezcatli?"

"It's his turn to set up a shield around the campsite." Cassander answered.

"His turn?" Rei wondered if they all had taught each other their skills or were they all able to do so.

"They all take turns placing a shield since they're all able to do so. Even though Kaiba-sama doesn't like to believe in the mystical and supernatural, he doesn't have a blind eye to it." Homer explained.

"It's kinda funny if you think of it in that sense since he is able to tap into the power he had in his former life. At least that's what Neith told me." Bastetka said.

"If he's able to tap into that power then why doesn't he believe in it?" Rei asked.

"You can almost say that he's forced to know that it existence. Luckily for him, the one that actually got him to acknowledge it also gave him an outlet that he can use in most cases to argue against magic." Neith said.

"Are they best friends or something?" Rei figured that it was the person that Kaiba-san mentioned in the private meeting they had two nights ago.

"I don't really know. I've never asked and I couldn't really tell with the short time that I actually saw him on Earth."

"The shield is up." Tezcatli said as he came up to the group.

"Good. We now have to run to catch up to Kaiba-sama." Vasuki said, letting Kai and Rei know.

All of them started to run and it amazed both Rei and Kai that they were able to with the machine on their left arm. It wasn't long until they saw Kaiba-san walking calmly through the desert and with an atmosphere of control.

"Kaiba-sama!" Neith called to him, and only she ran faster to be right by his side. Though it didn't take the others long to reach him since he stopped walking when Neith called to him.

"Did you check to make sure that nothing was inside?" Kaiba-san asked.

"I did and I didn't find any." Tezcatli said.

"Good." He continued to walk.

":It seems like Neith is attached to Kaiba-san.:" Rei said to Bastetka in Cantonese, hoping that Neith couldn't understand it.

":She is. Though she knows that it's almost impossible, she wants to them two to be joined at the hip.:"

":She admires him that much:"

":I thought she loved him.:" Homer came in the conversation.

":It hasn't gone to that point and I don't think that Kaiba-san would want it to go any higher than admiration.:" Bastetka said with a nervous smile.

"+Hey, what are you guys talking about+" Vayu asked in Japanese.

Homer started to speak in India, since Vayu and Vasuki seemed to understand it. Vayu giggled a bit and turned on the translators, since he spoke in Cantonese, ":Why are you nervous about their relationship going higher:"

Though Kai didn't know what they were talking about, he wondered how Vayu was about to talk to Rei when yesterday he told him that he only know a few words.

":It would just be weird. Neith is way younger than Kaiba-san.:" Bastetka said.

":How old is he anyway:" Rei asked.

":He's about thirty-seven, if my math's correct.:" Homer said.

":You're right, it would be weird.:" Rei realized that it was about twenty-two year difference, remembering her age from her bio that Kenny was able to bring up.

"+I wonder why they're not here yet.+" Max said as the rest of the BladeBreakers were sitting in their room for their last two teammates to show.

"They'll come, Kaiba-san isn't about to be late for a tournament." Jade said eerily calm and cold. Everyone figured that it was because Kai not being with her so none were about to get her mad. Everyone was worried that something had happened to them so they were just a bit edgy.

When the Yami Hunters reached the stadium, only the guests were a bit impressed.

"Kaiba-san, are any of your stadiums going to be in this tournament?" Rei asked in Egyptian, wanting to practice with the device.

"All matches will have one of mine dishes. Why do you ask?" He didn't seem annoyed.

"I was just wondering."

"You like using it, don't you?" Bastetka asked with a smile, keeping with Egyptian.

"Yep. Oh, I better turned it off so I don't speak in another language with my friends." Rei turned both off. "+It was nice to have met you and we'll see you guys at the tournament.+"

Rei waved before he and Kai walked away to find their team's room.

"+When did you get the chance to learn their languages+" Kai asked.

"Bastetka gave me a device that allows me to hear the languages that I don't know and Wu gave me the device to speak in them. I have extras if you want one."

"Just the hearing one." Rei reached into his pocket and pulled out a pair of small, flat circles. "Are you planning to let the others know about this?"

"I'm not sure if I should. I will give it to them once the tournament is over though." He handed them to Kai, "Place one in each hear. They don't seem to fall out."

"How do they work?" Kai placed one in each ear, fighting the shiver since the metal was cold.

"You just have to think of the language you want to hear. It also works with the ones that you don't know. For those, you think of the person who spoke it."

"Thanks." They continued to search for their room. After a while, they finally found it.

"Should I open it?" Rei asked.

Normally, Kai wouldn't care, "Sure."

Everyone heard the door handle move. They looked to see that it was down and it started to open. They almost feared that it was Mr. Dickenson but soon saw Rei's smiling face appear.

"Rei!" Tyson said, making Rei widen the door for everyone to see Kai.

"Glad you guys are okay." Max said.

"Why wouldn't we be?" Both walked into the room and Kai wondered why Jade looked at the clock.

"It's a good thing that you guys came when you did." Kenny said.

"Why is that?"

"Good to see that my favorite team is here on time." Rei and Kai turned around to see Mr. Dickenson standing at the door. Kai then understood why Jade didn't run to him.

"Should there have been a reason that we couldn't make it on time?" Jade asked in her cold manner.

"No. I suppose not. Well, you're fighting in block three and the Yami Hunters are fighting in block two."

"Do you know who is battling for the Yami Hunters?" Max asked.

"And are we able to watch them?" Kenny asked.

"I haven't gotten their list yet but you won't be able to watch them. Every block will fight at the same time."

"Thanks for letting us know." Jade said.

Mr. Dickenson left.

"I wonder if he envies Kaiba-san." Rei asked more to himself as Kai made sure that he was gone and closed the door.

"What do you mean?" Max asked.

"You already know that his teammates respect him so much that they address him –sama. Even their friends address him as that and they genuinely want to make him happy. I'm sure that they don't question him either."

"Sounds like you got to know them pretty well." Tyson said with a bit of an attitude.

"Well, in either case, we need to head over to the dish." Kenny said.

"You guys go ahead. I need to speak with Rei and Kai for a moment." Jade said.

"See you guys later then." Max said and they all headed out. They didn't make a comment since Rei was going to stay as well so they thought that it was for something for both of them.

Rei just happened to know better and turned his back to them as well as pulled his bandana over his ears. He was pretending that he remembered something that he needed to do with his blade and was doing it.

Jade ran into Kai's arms and they kissed multiple times, missing each other terribly. "Please don't do that again. I had a dream that something bad happened to you."

"Convince Rei to never do something like that again." Though Kai already knew that he really wouldn't since he had gain enough information from those friends and bladers that he's going to get without staying with them forever.

"I'll assign someone else if he does." She laid her head on his chest. "I'm half wishing that you didn't have to go to the dish."

"Half?"

"You need to be there to support your team. Just be glad that you're not going up in this round." She looked at him with a smile.

"I would win either way."

"I know." They kissed one more time before Jade turned to Rei, "Rei!"

He heard his name without any other words and knew that it was to turn around. He moved his bandana up to its normal position, "Yes?"

"What did you learn about the Yami Hunters?"

"They all have mystical powers and they have interesting launchers. I think they might use Duel Monsters cards but I'm sure how they could and why they would."

"Did you see another person there?"

"If you're talking about the friend that they mentioned no; he's in space right now. Oh, only Neith met this person."

"They didn't slip a name?"

"No."

"Do you know who's going up first?"

"Tezcatli, Vasuki and Cassander are the first in that order. Neith and Ereshki will come in one of the other matches."

"Too bad I can't send someone over there to see how they battle."

"Didn't you tell me that you had someone on us? Why not send that person?" Rei remembered vaguely that she slipped on that bit of information once in the past.

She narrowed her eyes at him, "There's no one here since I'm here. Otherwise I wouldn't have to worry about you two staying with Kaiba-san."

"Oh…"

"We better get going or we'll be late." Kai said and they headed out. As soon as Kai closed the door, Rei stood in front of where their hands were joined. He looked to see Mr. Dickenson coming and they both let go.

"Hi Mr. Dickenson, what are you doing here?" Rei asked.

"I wanted to see what was taking you three so long to go to the stadium."

"I was giving them some points to consider in battle that I noticed in morning practice. It just now hit me that I should and I didn't want the others to wait." Jade said.

"Oh, well their match is about to start so you better get them along."

"Right. Let's win this tournament, boys." Jade walked ahead of them and they followed.

After a bit of walking, "He can't see us anymore." Rei said, since they didn't take any turns.

"Thanks Rei." Jade said with a sigh.

"Why was he talking to you like that?" Kai didn't like the choice of tone and words that Mr. Dickenson used towards Jade and considered them more important than her.

"Don't worry about it Kai. It's not really important."

Rei slowed down a bit as Kai went next to her, "Of course it's important. This isn't the first time that he treated you like this."

Jade didn't answer so Rei did in Russian since he wasn't sure what setting Kai had his hearing aids, " Kai, let it go. She's not going to say since she knows that she can't. "

Kai looked at him, glad that he now knows how he could speak with clarity, " What are you talking about? " He asked in Russian.

" She was making sure that we don't know so we wouldn't get hurt. I'm pretty sure you don't want to know the real reason she got involved with our team and I know that it hurts her knowing it. She wasn't supposed to get attached but she did. We might not know when or why but we have to respect her decision in not telling us. We'll learn when we need to. "

Kai looked at the floor, knowing that Rei was right, "+Jade+" he spoke in Japanese, "+you don't have to tell me if you don't want to. I just hate hearing him talk to you like that and you just take it.+"

"+Thanks but I have ways of making him pay.+" She kissed Kai on the cheek before they reached the entrance to the stadium.

"It took you guys long enough." Tyson said, obvious that he was getting either worried or annoyed that they were taking so long.

"Concentrate on the match." Jade said as she and Kai sat down, though they weren't cuddling they were close.

"Who's first anyway?" Rei asked, knowing that Kai would most likely act like his old self.

"First is Max, then Tyson and then you." Kenny said, like Jade wasn't even there. Rei quickly looked over at her and Kai and saw that they weren't even paying attention to them.

"Sounds good."

"Welcome all you fans! Let's have our first bladers come up to the dish. We have Chris from the Golden Team and Max from the World Championship BladeBreakers!" There was a loud cheer for Max and every one of the BladeBreakers noticed that the announcer had the famous Australian accent. The dish cover was being removed to reveal a step-pyramid of computer chips with little room to be in front of the bar that allows one to move up and to make it worse the corners were curved, making it easier for a Beyblade to fall off and back into the dish. It also made it impossible for a Beyblade to move straight up.

"Good luck Max!" Tyson said. Kenny opened his laptop to get ready to collect data. Rei quickly looked around, trying to find Mr. Dickenson but couldn't find him.

"Three, Two, One, Let it Rip!" The announcer said and both bladers launched.

They were encircling the rim of the dish. Rei understood that the dish was made for experience bladers. He was already thinking of how to use this dish to his advantage as Tyson was cheering Max.

"Max, you need to attack!" Tyson said.

Max was thinking of how to win since he wasn't sure if he should use the dish or not. He didn't like how it was set up and didn't feel comfortable using it. Their blades clashed and it was obvious that Max was more powerful. "Go Draciel!" Draciel was pushing the other blade all around the dish.

"Max can't win unless he uses the dish." Rei said.

"What do you mean?" Tyson looked at him.

"He has to use the dish to its fullest potently if he hopes to win. Kaiba-san made these dishes and I'm sure he made sure that it was nearly impossible for a Blader to win without using it. Max, you have to use the dish!"

" Wha? " Max looked back at Rei.

"Use the dish. If you don't use it now, you can't possibly win against the Yami Hunters. Kaiba-san was the one that made these."

There was a noise that came from the dish. Max looked back to see that he had pushed the other Beyblade to the pole and the other Blader used it to escape and go the next level. The dish started to shake and the middle of the dish was collapsing.

"Max, go up!" Tyson said and Draciel when up the pole to the next level as well. A spiral of wind was being generated from the dark center, seeming to be able to pull everything that would dare be in its path.

Max was finding it a bit difficult since the platform was really made out of computer chips. The other Blader was finding it as difficult as well.

"Max, you have to use the dish." He looked back at Jade. She was standing up with the rest of the guys but Kai was still sitting down. "There are narrow pathways that you can use."

" Right. " Max looked back at the dish, now seeing what she was talking about. There were grooves created by the placement of the chips and they were easily usable. "Go Draciel!"

Draciel launched forward but was using the paths that were there to get him closer to his opponent. The other Blader wasn't sure on what to do and his Beyblade was caught in the groove.

"Oh no!" Chris said as Draciel made contact, sending it flying but it managed to recover in midair. It landed on the dish that was still there but then it was caught in the wind and it was pulled into the abyss underneath the computer chip pyramid.

"And the winner is…" The Beyblade shot straight through the levels, shattering the centers for each one. Max's blade was taken with the shards but the other blade landed outside the ring.

"Max! Try to get to the edge of the platform!" Kenny said.

" Right. " He concentrated and his blade did a few flips before landing on the top rim. It wobbled a bit before spinning in place.

"And the winner is Max!" The announcer said and everyone cheered.

Max got his blade and went back to the others. " Man that was close. "

"It sure was but you managed to get us a win." Kenny said.

"Now all I have to do is keep up our luck and we're off to our next match." Tyson said.

"Good luck. Remember, Kaiba-san has built each dish to be made for experience Bladers." Rei said.

"I'll remember." Tyson walked up to the dish.

"Next match is Joseph verses Tyson!" There was loud cheering again and Tyson was just eating it up. A new dish came up. It looked like it was a trampoline. "Three, Two, One, Let it Rip!" Both launched their Beyblades into the dish. When they landed, they did bounce a few times before gaining control. When they crashed, it made the dish move wildly. Unfortunately for them, there was a space between the end of the dish and rim that their blades could fall into if they weren't careful.

"Hopefully he won't be reckless." Kenny said.

"You know Tyson." Max said.

"As long as there is some plan with that reckless." Jade said.

"Tyson will think of a way. He has in the past." Rei said.

The other blade was bounced off the dish and into the space between. Dragoon almost went into the same place but he managed to land it on the ring that connected the dish with the rim. All sighed with relief since it was really close.

There was a loud cheer as Tyson came back. "That's another victory for us!" Tyson said.

"You're really fortunate that you landed on that ring." Jade said.

"I know. Hopefully we'll get easier dishes later."

"I doubt that." Kenny said.

"And the winner is Tyson!"

"It looks like you're up next." Tyson said, looking at Rei.

"Right." Rei walked up to the dish.

"Final match, it is Al verses Rei!" The dish this time was pitch black with no highlights on it.

"What is that?" Tyson asked with amazement.

"This dish is dubbed Black Hole. There are various spots that will open at random moments during the match and they never appear in the same spot twice. Three, Two, One, Let it Rip!" They launched their blades at each other in midair before landing in the dish. Rei closed his eyes to concentrate on hearing the dish. He even drowned out his friends' voices so he could hear the open and closing of the holes. Rei started to notice a small pattern before opening his eyes, having them to a slit.

"Driger!" Driger moved with amazing speed that it seemed impossible to make the quick turns on the dime. His opponent was so stunned that Driger was able to knock him out of the ring and just missed the next hole.

"And Rei is the winner! The BladeBreakers will move on to the Semi-Finals!" There was a loud cheer as Driger came back to Rei. Rei really hoped that his friends didn't give him some advice since he couldn't comment on them now. He walked back to the others.

"Great job Rei!" Tyson said.

"That was totally awesome!" Max said.

"Thanks."

"That was most excellent." Mr. Dickenson said.

"Thanks Mr. Dickenson. Most of the credit has to go to the training that we got."

"I can clearly see that. Well, would you at least want to see the Russian team battle?"

"Are we allowed to?" Jade asked.

"Of course, afterward all, if they win this you'll be battling against them."

"Then let's go." Jade walked ahead of everyone.

" Did they happen to give me any advice during my match? " Rei asked in Russian to Kai.

" Only the usual cheering routine, why? "

" I was concentrating really hard on the battle that all other sounds disappeared. "

" I need to do that with Tyson some time. "

"+Yea+" They looked beyond Jade to see Vayu waving his arms as they walk down the stairs in the audience. "+We save you guys some seats.+"

"Why?" Jade asked with annoyance.

"One, we could since we won our match easily; two, Kaiba-sama wanted us to." Neith said.

"Thanks." Rei said. They all took a seat.

"Where is Kaiba-san?" Tyson asked, noticing that he wasn't here.

"He said that he wanted to make sure that he imported the right stadiums." Ereshki said.

"Meaning?" Kenny asked.

"That for the Semi-Finals and Finals, he's having the stadiums brought here so we can have awesome matches." Vasuki explained.

"He must be an amazing technician to create so many unique stadiums." Kenny said.

"It's only his money that funds the projects. The true creators are in Japan by now." Neith said.

"Really? I thought he made them." Max said.

"Nope. Two other people create and build them as hobbies. Well, the one with style and artistic genius." Cassander said.

"You're into art?" Rei asked.

"Yea, I love it."

"That's the one thing that he beats me in. Sure, I understand art but he sees things in a different way than I do." Homer said.

"And for the final match, it's George from the Red Star against Sophia from Dynamo." She stepped up to the stadium. You could tell that she was wearing winter clothing since her reddish violet jacket was long; skirt was long neon, purplish pink with a light purple puff on the rim of the bottom. Her hair was a green, purplish glow that was tied up and her soft purple color eyes were hard as she got into her launching position.

The dish came up and it modeled a library, with dead ends.

"That seems really tough." Tyson said.

"You'll just have to wait to see the other ones that he can bring." Cassander said.

"Three, Two, One, Let it Rip!"

Their blades wasted no time in idleness. When her blade forced the other into a dead end, she attack forcefully that created a hole in the model and sent the other blade flying into the stands.

"Sophia is the winner!"

"Wow, that's some power!" Kenny said.

"I agree." Neith said, not liking to admit it though.

"Something wrong with her having power?" Jade asked.

"Nothing is wrong with it but if you were a great trainer then you would know that that was too much un-control power she unleashed." Jade narrowed her eyes at Neith but said nothing.

Kai noticed that Sophia was looking in their direction with hate in her eyes.

"Next up is Basil, also known as Dark, verses Peter."

Two boys walked up to the dish on the Dynamo team. One was the brown hair with golden bangs, green turtleneck, and blue pants; and a smaller boy with a blue hat, red-brown hair, green shirt with yellow at the 'v' collar and dark tan pants with both boys having green eyes.

"You do know that we called for Dark, right?" The announcer asked.

"Of course." Rei managed to hear the older one said. He left the younger one at the stadium after helping him get ready for his battle.

"That was weird." Max said.

Rei then understood that no one else could tell that Dark was blind. When they showed his face, Rei noticed the same cautious look and movement that Wu possessed once told that she was blind. Even now, she still has some air of caution incase she's wrong about something.

"Okay… Three, Two, One, Let it Rip!" And both bladers launched their blades into the dish that was made from dirt.

"I hate this one." Ereshki said.

"Why?" Kenny asked.

"This is the earthquake one, that or the super volcano but I'm only half sure that Kaiba-sama wouldn't put that here."

Rei smiled softly to himself, knowing that Dark will be alright in a stadium like that.

The dish started to shake a little, but that only bothered the other. Dark still looked calm as ever and his blade now had the upper hand. Rei thought it was amazing that he could practice this art without the use of his eyes. The ground ripped up and the blades were on opposite sides.

"Guess that means that it's a tie." Neith said. Everyone guessed that's what happened when they faced it.

But even they gasped as Dark's blade managed to jump over the canyon and attack the other's blade without nearing the fissure.

"Wow, this kid is good." Vasuki said.

"He's kinda acting like you, Jade." Tyson said, observing how calm Dark was.

"And I do not like it."

Rei smiled again, seeing how they're assuming that he can see. Rei figured that his hearing was probably really sharp to hear the difference in sound. Right before the next fissure was created, Dark got the other blade there, seeming to know where it would open. Everyone in the crowd cheered with joy at the battle.

"And the victory goes to Dark!" The other boy went up, retrieved his blade, and walked him back to the others of his team.

"You better not like Kaiba-san see that performance." Tyson said with a smile.

"You're right. We'll be training until our fingers come off." Neith said with a smile, saying that she was joking.

"Dizzy, was there anything irregular with that kid's blade?" Kenny asked his computer.

"None that I found. I'll do another search."

"Thanks."

"… Still nothing."

"Then how could he have known where that fissure was coming?"

"Maybe it was just luck." Tyson offered.

"Let it be." Rei said.

"Why?" Kenny looked at him.

"If I can talk to him or the other person that helped him, I'll let everyone know how he was able to do so."

"How do you understand what he did?" Tezcatli asked.

"I'll tell you once I get a chance to talk to them."

"Seems like you got your wish," Neith said, "After this match is over, all winning teams are meeting each other for some reason."

"Did Kaiba-sama tell you?" Bastetka asked.

"Yea. Seems like we'll all know."

"Please, try not to listen in."

"And finally it's Bruce verses Yuri!" Yuri had a bit dull red hair, bluish grey jacket with a brownish red underneath; his long pants were frost forest green and red eyes. Their dish is a junkyard.

"This should be fun." Vasuki said.

"Why?" Vayu asked.

"The junkyard stadium has a lot of sharp objects that can disable a Beyblade immediately."

"Wow… Sounds like someone can poke an eye out."

"Probably."

"Three, Two, One, Let it Rip!" The Beyblades launched into the dish. It didn't take them long to collide with each other and it seemed that Bruce had the upper hand. But with the second clash, it was all over. Yuri won and Bruce's blade was knocked out of the ring. "And the winner is Yuri."

"That showed no talent. He didn't even try to use the dish." Neith complained as they made their way to the gathering room.

"It didn't really matter if he won or lost that battle so maybe he believed that he didn't have to." Bastetka offered an explanation.

"Besides, you can yell at him when you meet him." Vasuki said and that seemed to quiet her for some reason.

When they got to the meeting room, the Australian team and the Russian team were already there.

"Food!" Tyson ran over to the buffet table and started filling up a plate.

" Now that everyone's here, let them introduce each other. " Mr. Dickenson said. Kai noticed that Kaiba-san was here.

" We're the Yami Hunters and it's an honor to meet you. I'm Vasuki, the team leader. " Both Kai and Rei thought that Neith would be the leader since she was the first one that was picked.

" I'm Neith, the strategist. "

" I'm Ereshki. "

" Cassander. "

" Tezcatli. "

" I'm Jade, the new coach for the BladeBreakers. "

" I'm Max. "

" Kenny. "

" Rei. "

" Tyson. " He said as he was still picking his food.

" Kai, the team leader. "

" I'm Clio, the leader for the BeyUnders. "

" I'm Yeti. "

" Victor. "

" And I'm Kye. " His eyes were eyeing Jade in a weird way that Kai didn't like.

" I'm Yuri, leader of the Dynamo. "

" Sophia. "

" My real name is Don but call me Dmitriy. "

" I'm his little brother, Basil but call me Dark. " They all spoke good English and Dark was still clinging to Dmitriy.

"+Okay, enough talkin' and let's get down to eating+" Tyson said, with a plate full of food now. Kenny and Max were embarrassed that they know him right now.

As most were getting something from the table, Rei went over to Basil and Don.

" I was really impressed on your battle, Dark. " Rei said in Russian with gladness in his voice and on his face for Don.

" Thank you. " Basil smiled.

" It took him a while to learn and then master this. Thanks for the complement. It means a lot. " Don said.

" I can tell since Dark can't see too well. Are you totally blind or just some? "

" How can you tell?" Basil was really surprised and so was Don.

" I have a friend that is blind as well so I can tell if someone is or isn't. "

" I'm totally blind. "

" Then you should really celebrate. Most people in your situation wouldn't even attempt to try. Keep up it and you can surprise the world. " Rei smiled, for his brother and knew that Basil could feel it.

" Thank you so much. "

" Dmitriy, is there something that I can get your brother? I really feel like I should. "

" Thanks for the offer but we're fine. Your words are more than enough. "

" All right but if there's something that I can get you then let me know. See you at the stadium. "

" Right. " Rei walked back to the others.

"+So? What's up+" Neith asked.

" Dmitriy, do you want it to be known? " Rei asked in Russian, looking at them.

" Why? "

" They're curious. "

" Go ahead. " Basil said.

"+Dark is totally blind.+" Rei said in Japanese.

"+Really? Wow.+" Neith was impressed.

"But that seems impossible." Kenny said.

"You couldn't tell that by the way he battles." Max said.

"Is he going to battle in the next round?" Tyson asked; all the BladeBreakers knew that he wanted to face him.

"I guess we'll find out when we face them." Rei said.

" How do you like our city so far? " Kye came up to their group, putting his arm on Jade's shoulder.

" It's amazing and I've tried that. " Bastetka said.

"It doesn't work." Jade moved her shoulder, getting closer to Kai.

"Can't hurt to try." Kye seemed to know when to give up.

"Have you been able to see all the sites here?" Clio asked, since the others were here.

"I know that the Yami Hunters have." Homer said.

"Who are you three anyway? You didn't introduce yourselves." Victor said.

"I'm Bastetka, Neith's friend."

"Vayu, Vasuki's friend."

"Homer, Cassander's friend."

"So you're the person that took Neith away from that meeting." Yeti said.

"It would've been boring anyway." Neith said.

"It pretty much was. There wasn't any real point to it." Jade said.

"By the way, I heard that we're going to be using awesome stadiums. Want to fill us in on what they are, mate?" Kye asked, standing near Neith.

" Hey, do you guys want to join this conservation? " Rei asked in Russian, looking at the Russian team.

Don looked at Yuri and he shook his head. " I'm sorry but we can't. " Don said.

" You guys can hear this as well. Kaiba-sama really doesn't mind. " Homer said, apparently the only one in the Yami Hunters' group that could speak without an aid.

Their sponsor whispered something to Yuri and they walked forward. Rei didn't like the feeling he was getting with that but wasn't showing it.

" Do you only understand Russian or do you understand English as well? " Rei asked.

" We're not that strong with English. " Don said.

" Would you like us to slow down or to just translate? " Homer asked.

" Translate would be great. " Basil said.

":Do you want me to translate for them or you:" Homer asked in Mandarin.

":Could I:"

":Sure.:"

" I'm going to translate for you guys. " Rei said to them.

" Thanks. " Basil smiled.

" Okay. The round with BeyUnders and the Yami Hunters, there's going to be the dish Gate to the Underworld, Olympus, and Lotus. Kaiba-sama is calling this round the Mystical round so be prepared for anything with these. " Neith said, then waited for Rei to finish translating. " The round with BladeBreakers and the Dynamo, the dishes are a Maze, a Moisten ground, and a Transparent Cave. He's calling this the Nature round so use the field to your advantage. " She waited again. " The Finals will be determined by the winners of the Mystical. "

"+Why does it only depends on the Mystical round+" Tyson asked.

" Because he decided that only one group in the final round will have a home field advantage. "

"+That's unfair+"

" Kaiba-sama doesn't have to choose favorites. Don't worry; we'll give everyone a memo after the second round. "

" I guess that way the two teams can prepare overnight. " Jade said.

"That sounds like his plan."

"Well, I think this gathering is just about up. You have to prepare for your next battle." Mr. Dickenson said.

"We'll see you on the battlefield." Clio said as they left.

"Thanks and see you later." Don said and they left as well.

"We suggest that you watch our battle." Vasuki said.

"Why?" Jade asked.

"You can see the next level of blading." They left.

After Tyson grabbed more food, they went to their room.

"+Okay, Rei, you're staying out of this one.+" Jade said.

"+Why are you choosing to bench Rei+" Kenny asked, looking through his laptop.

"I want Kai to take his place. We're going against Dynamo and since Rei became two of theirs friend, they might go easy on him."

"I thought you were going to say that he would go easy on them." Max said.

"I have confidence that Rei wouldn't do that but I have no grantee that they would so that's why his benched."

"As long as you have a valid reason, I'm okay with it."

"The line up is Max, Kai, and Tyson. Their line up should be Sophia, one of the brothers, and Yuri."

"How can you be sure?" Tyson asked.

"They have a set pattern and the only wild card is the brothers."

"You've only seen them once, how can you possibly know?" Kenny asked.

"Trust me, I know. Max, get mentally prepare for a maze; Kai, for a moist field; and Tyson, a cave. Kenny, you will help them prepare their technique for the fields and Kai, you have to think what style Kaiba-san might use."

"What about their battle?" Tyson asked.

"Rei and I are going to study them. We'll come and get you. I'm positive they're going to win but I'm not sure how. While you're preparing, don't try to master it to perfection yet. Ours are quickly made models and it's just to give you an idea. Good luck and we'll be back soon." She walked to the door.

"Good luck with training." Rei said as he followed her. "You were more serious back there than usual, any particular reason?"

"Mr. Dickenson told me that the Yami Hunters feel like they can win at anything. I didn't believe that until now. I'm not about to let the team I'm training lose."

"I forgot. Losing isn't an option for you."

"Winning means surviving." She sounded like she had to repeat those words many times.

They sat down at a good spot, but made sure that their friends couldn't find them. They were behind the BeyUnders so they got a good view of their box.

"Seems like Kaiba-san really likes to give his team his support." Rei said, seeing that he was with them in the box.

"Good thing that Mr. Dickenson doesn't do that. You guys don't need to be babied."

"I don't think he does that. They have a deep respect for him. We only respect Mr. Dickenson and nothing more."

"I think it's pathetic. Respect for the sponsor? There's no such thing. They're only out for one thing and that's to make themselves look good."

Rei looked at her, seeing her face holding her hate. Rei wondered why she said that but then the match started so he had to pay attention. He figured that Jade would watch the battle itself so he was going to study the team participation.

"Let's start this first semi-final round! Let's give it up for the favorite local team, the BeyUnders!" The crowd cheered.

"And the visiting team, the Yami Hunters!" They cheered again.

"First match is Kye verses Ereshki!" They stepped up to the dish. The dish was a navy blue with a black circle in the middle. "This dish is named the Underworld's Gate. When that hole opens, anything can come out. Three, Two, One, Let it Rip!" They launched their blades in the dish.

They were just encircling the dish, not ready to make contact yet. Rei studied Ereshki, she was in a trance!

"That might not be good." Rei said.

"What? Nothing has happened."

"No, something is happening. She's powerful and not only do I know it, Kai as well."

"Everyone is beatable once opened."

"You'll see." Rei noticed her launcher, where that greenish golden oval that's attached to the launcher had three slots for something on a dark blue grey platform. She pulled out three cards from her deck.

"This isn't a card game." Jade said.

"It's legal."

"I didn't care about that."

"You will when she plays her idea." She placed two cards on the slots. She went to the middle and waited.

"What does she think she's doing? Standing still won't get her anywhere."

"Make a note. We have to find out more about these Duel Monsters cards."

"Why?"

"That's what they all have."

Kye went after her. Right then, the door opened, putting Rei at the edge of his seat. He could sense some danger coming but didn't know what.

"Something wrong?" Jade asked.

When their blades clashed, there was another monster that took the attack. The hole took that monster before closing.

" I summon Galu from the depths of my Beyblade. Come forth my faithful beast! " Her Bit Beast came out from her blade and went after him quickly, sending him near the edge.

" Gani! _Caelaeres Oppugnare_! " His Bit Beast came out and not covering anything. Most people were shocked, some were cheering, and a few didn't get faze. She brought her hands about her head and gathered energy. She unleashed it in a beam.

"Galu, use Swords of Revealing Light!" Her Bit Beast swung its grayish wings up and sword-shaped lights encircled Gani, making it immobile.

"How can you do that? That's impossible!" Kye said.

"It's not impossible and it's legal." Ereshki said coldly, drawing one card from her deck.

"How could this be legal?"

"It is, we checked. Now, make your move!"

"Gani, Go around those swords!" Kye ordered but his blade was only able to go up to the edge. "What's going on?"

"Swords of Revealing Light immobilize the opponent for three turns but in this case, it's three times I pull a card from my deck." She now looked at the card that she pulled.

She placed a card on the slot and an image of a wooden person that's set aflame with 18 on its chest appeared below Galu, "Kaen Mokujin 18 faced-up Attack Mode."

"What the hell is that?" Kye asked. Gani tilted her head, floating next to Kye.

"He is known as a Duel Monster. Now, Kaen Mokujin 18, see how loyal his Bit Beast is!" The wooden creature launched himself at Kye.

The whole audience was shocked. "+She can't do that+" Jade exclaimed.

Gani managed to block the attack by grapping the creature's hands. " Gani, _Caelaeres Oppugnare_! " She released it right at the creature's face, killing it. Ereshki fell forward, looking a bit pale. Rei looked over at Kaiba-san, seeing no concern on his face. None of her teammates seemed worried, of course she then laughs.

" Good, your Bit Beast is loyal. All the more fun for me. " She drew a card. " One more card and the fun begins. "

"+Hopefully she's not going to battle in the final.+" Rei said.

"+Why+" Jade asked.

"I have a feeling that she's going to prolong this as much as possible."

" Gani, break these swords! " Kye yelled. Gani's blade slammed against them but it wasn't working.

" I'll end your captivity. " Ereshki drew another card, taking away the swords. She placed two cards on the slots with only one of the cards visible. It was a goblin thing with tiny wings and a spear. " I'll place one card faced-down then summon Dark Famiria in Defense Mode. " The creature went to Galu's head.

"Enough games. Gani, attack!" Gani moved towards them with great speed. The goblin jumped between and struck her, effecting Kye greatly.

"+How can she do that? She's acting like Brian.+" Jade said, not even realizing who was next to her.

" Why… am I feeling her pain? " Kye asked weakly.

" Shouldn't you feel her pain? She battles for you so you should suffer as much as her. As to the how you feel her pain, this is called a Shadow Game were only our main creature is connected to our soul. So the more we attack our Bit Beast, the weaker we get. "

"Then why did you get pale after that one attack?"

"I'm no that skilled in controlling this realm so I might be affected by your attacked or not." The goblin disappeared.

"+I really wish I could hear them. She seems to be giving lots of information.+" Jade said. Rei looked at her, realizing that he was able to hear them clearly through all the noise and at that distance.

"+I know what you mean. Maybe we should talk to them afterward.+"

"The problem is that we won't have time."

Ereshki pulled another card, " I summon Darkworld Thorns in Attack Mode. I then sacrifice my Dark Blade to summon Morin Fen in Attack Mode. " That got some reaction from her teammates.

"+I wonder why they were shocked.+" Jade asked herself.

"+Maybe that was her favorite card. I'm really surprise they were able to hide their talents from everyone.+"

"That's true."

" Gani, attack the plant! " Gani did and destroyed it. That took some warmth, puzzling everyone on her team.

" Oh, I had the terms as Life Points with all monsters and main monster as the soul link. I haven't fought a non-Duelist for a while that I forgot you don't have a deck. " Neith started to laugh. " Well, I guess that means that I have to drag this out longer than plan. "

"What?" There was some amount of terror on Kye's face.

"I summon Twin Head Cerberus in Attack Mode." It seemed her teammates understood her plan. Kaiba-san even smiled a bit.

"+This is turning out to be very weird.+" Jade commented.

"+I'm sure it's to make us see what's in store for us.+"

" Gani, attack all of her extra monsters! " Kye sent a great amount of energy to her as she gathered for her attack.

" Galu, prepare for the attack. Twin Head Cerberus, Morin Fen, allow me to take the damage. " When the attack happened Twin Head Cerberus and Morin Fen were killed, but Ereshki was bent over, breathing hard. Her Bit Beast, and team, was watching her. Kye was also breathing hard as well as Gani. Ereshki pulled another card.

"That was pretty smart but foolish." She sounded like she still had energy but she definitely didn't look like it. "You wasted a lot of your energy on companions and not the main player."

"You're just as weak as me. How can I be at a disadvantage?"

"I guess Galu shall teach you. Galu," She straightened up, "Swarm!" Her face was really pale. Galu started to make copies of himself, filling the arena. Gani and Kye both looked scared, knowing their doom. "Now, know the meaning of fear!" All their eyes glowed. Rei noticed that the whole was opened, since he sensed danger. All the monsters that were killed and actual spirits came out and mixed with the swarm. They attack, but only Gani though Kye was seeing and feeling every blow.

At the end of the attack, his blade was knocked out of the dish and he was still standing. Galu went back into his blade and the blade back to Ereshki.

"And Ereshki is the winner!" The whole crowd cheered.

"How did you get that power?" Kye barely asked.

"Training to be the best." Ereshki right then looked scary, making the whole crowd freeze. Rei could sense that something was bringing death to the area. He turned to Jade, seeing a glimmer of fear in her eyes.

"+Do you sense something+" Rei asked.

"+I feel something dark but not evil. Why? Do you feel it as well+"

"Yea." He wondered if Kai sensed this aura this morning.

"We'll take a few moments to get the next dish ready." The announcer said. The staff was placing a cover to hide the next dish.

"Ereshki, your Grace, how was your battle?" Neith asked with a bow.

"As well as any other low case battle. Priest Seto, why did you place my hostess against weak warriors?" Rei could tell there was a different voice.

"Ereshkimon, I want the BladeBreakers to have some hope of winning."

"Neithmon, you approve of this?" She looked at Neith.

Neith closed her eyes. When she opened them, she seemed much happier, "There's always the chance that they could lose. Besides, we can make sure they know who the best are."

"That was my plan all along." Kaiba-san said.

"I'm glad that I was able to battle with that arena though. Thank you, Priest Seto." The whole air changed back to the way it was.

"Now let's get back to the battle!" The announcer said.

"Did you feel that?" Jade asked.

"Yea." He now knew that there were other beings in Neith, Ereshki and possibly Tezcatli and Vasuki. They must only come out during a battle though.

"From the Yami Hunters, we have Tezcatli! And from the BeyUnders, we have Yeti!" They both walked forward with Tezcatli having his pile of cards in the holder. "The dish we have for this battle is called Olympus!" The cover came off and the mountain rose. When it finished its raising, it was much taller than either two Bladers. "Get ready to launch. Three, two, one, Let it Rip!

Once Tezcatli's blade hit the dish, he drew three cards and closed his eyes. Rei could feel the air shifting again, but it was either good or bad. He opened his eyes and studied the cards. He placed two down, " I shall summon Sapi. Climb the mountain and face your opponent! " His blade went up to the top and went straight for his blade with amazing accurateness.

" Silenis, come forth! " Yeti said. His Bit Beast appeared in much glory as a phoenix.

"Sapi, attached the Ring of Magnetism!" Tezcatli said. His Bit Beast sprang from his blade and placed a green, glowing ring around the neck. "The Ring of Magnetism gives your beast 500 defensive and offensive power but all creatures have to attack him."

"I'm not going to fall for the same tricks that your teammate pulled. Silenis, attack!" Silenis attacked, but it hit one of the metal spikes on its back, reflecting the attack.

"Let me explained this Shadow Game. As long as you stay on your side of the field, I will be the only one getting damaged. If you come to my side, you will be receiving the damaged. When we're in the middle, both will be damaged. All monsters will be connected with your soul."

"Your mind games will not work with me! Silenis, _Sancti Incendite_!" Silenis flew up and shot a white flame at Sapi. Sapi managed to dodge the attack.

Tezcatli drew another card, "Witch of the Black Forest, I summon thee in Defense Mode!" A woman with purple hair, a dark teal robe and an eye vertically placed on her forehead. She was behind Sapi with her eyes closed.

"+I thought the game had only creatures.+" Jade said.

"+But I wonder why he placed her in Defense. That doesn't seem to be the smart move since Silenis has that ring.+" The only reason Rei thought up was that he didn't want to lose his energy.

"Rei, you're right about learning more about this game."

" Silenis, attack Sapi! " Yeti yelled. Silenis went for a dive, but Witch of the Black Forest took the hit. Sapi took that time to attack back, though it only affected Silenis.

" Nice move and thank you. My witch's noble deed shall be serviced. Giga-Tech Wolf, come forth and avenge her death! " A metallic wolf came from his blade that had blue wings and three tails; two saber teeth that were pointing up, his paws and leg joints were all the same color as his wings. Giga-Tech Wolf launched at Silenis with a claw scratch. Silenis seemed to be fine. Rei noticed that he now had two cards in his hand. " I shall activate Toll! " He flipped the other card on the field, " Every time we attack, we will lose 500 points. "

"I'm not buying that. Silenis, _Sancti Incendite_!" Yeti's eyes widen a bit, like he was punched in the stomach. His reaction didn't stop his Bit Beast's attack.

Giga-Tech Wolf took the hit with Sapi launching himself above Silenis. Rei could see something coming out of Tezcatli before Sapi landed, "Poison!" Sapi's fangs went straight into Silenis's neck.

Silenis made a sound to show his pain. "Silenis!" Yeti watched in pure helplessness.

"I do not need to have your Bit Beast suffer more. He will be slowly killed if you don't beg for me to save him. That or you need to move your blade over to my side or defeat us."

Yeti looked at Silenis, who was looking worst every second, and his blade, which was losing speed. Yeti sent his blade to Tezcatli's side.

Tezcatli moved his blade over as well. Silenis seemed to be suffering less. Tezcatli drew a card, "Sapi, Poison!" More of the same thing came out of Tezcatli before Sapi attached to Silenis.

"I thought you would spare him!" Yeti yelled.

"I am. To defeat a poison is to have the same kind injected into you. Silenis will be saved and you will need help by the time the sky lacks the burning sun." Sapi dug his fangs into Silenis's neck again.

Silenis screamed again but so did Yeti. Silenis regained his health as Yeti was fighting to stand. Sapi's blade knocked Silenis's blade out of the dish.

"The winner, Tezcatli!" The announcer yelled. Yeti remaining teammates ran to him. Victor picked up his blade.

"What the hell is your team doing to ours?" Clio asked, holding the poisoned Yeti.

"We are keeping things interesting. Prepare yourselves for the last battle. It means nothing to us but Vasuki will show some of his strength." Tezcatli walked off.

"+They're doing something that's similar to Brian. I can't believe the judges don't see it.+" Jade said.

That now puzzled Rei as well. Surely they would question why two Bladers were down. "+We need to ask Mr. D about them.+"

"I wish we didn't have to though." The staff covered the arena again.

"Why did you give him a choice? Normally you don't." Kaiba-san asked.

"I saw that my real battle will be the one with the legendary Turtle of Water."

"I guess it's pointless for me to show my power if we're going to fight them." Vasuki said.

"This battle is pointless so if you don't get any cards that will help grant you victory quickly, don't use the shadows." Kaiba-san seemed a little annoyed.

"I thought you like to label it as tricks we learned from Mutou-san? Unless you're accepting it?" Cassander asked.

"I'll explain later."

"Right." Vasuki went up to the dish.

Vasuki placed his hands together and closed his eyes as he starts enchanting. There was a small gust of wind that flowed around him. Once he stopped, he allowed his arms to fall by his side with his eyes closed.

" Vasuki is ready to start. " Neith said.

Clio came up to the dish. The dish was uncovered to reveal a large lotus flower in the middle with smaller ones surrounding it in the pond.

"This is known as Lotus Lake. Vasuki, from the Yami Hunters and Clio; from the BeyUnders. Three, two, one, Let it Rip!"

Vasuki opened his eyes and launched his blade at the same time. His eyes thinned out and all red. His blade landed on one of the smaller ones as Clio's blade landed on the big one.

" I'll make sure you can't use your tricks on me. Senis, Tidal Wave! " A pale, icy blue seal appeared with a giant wave behind him. Vasuki just closed his eyes as the wave hit his blade. Clio smiled until he saw the blade still spinning but on another lotus.

"Priest Seto requested the battle to end quickly, but I think I'll just wait to see what my cards will be next. I'll place one card faced-down. Nagi will stay for the moment." His Beyblade jumped on the big lotus and started to attack it.

The two blades were clashing for a while. Rei noticed that Vasuki was drawing cards until he had two cards on the field and six in his hand.

"I'll flip these two cards! Koumori Dragon, attack!" The whole air shifted as a purple dragon and a jar with hands and pipe appeared. His Bit Beast also appeared. Koumori Dragon attacked Senis, though not doing anything.

"Senis, Tidal Wave!" The wave took both monsters out, leaving Vasuki a little pale and his Bit Beast out.

But Vasuki smiled, "Wrong move. I'll play Army Dragon in Attack Mode." But the green dragons with weapons and armor didn't attack.

"Tidal Wave!" The wave wiped them out, draining Vasuki more but he smiled anyway.

"Army Dragon, Attack Mode."

"Tidal Wave!"

"Army Dragon, Attack Mode."

"Tidal Wave!"

Vasuki was breathing hard, with Ereshki and Tezcatli showing signs of jealousy. "I'll play Gurei Uingu in Attack Mode. With discarding one of my cards in my hand, he can attack twice." The dragon attacked Senis with amazing speed. But again, Clio was unharmed.

"Why are you sparing me?" Clio asked.

"You'll see at the end." He drew another card. "I'll discard again so Gurei Uingu can attack twice."

"+His searching for something.+" Rei said.

"+It doesn't matter, they won the match.+"

"It has to do with the cards in his hand. He wants his plan to work."

" I'll discard again. " Vasuki said.

"+See, he's searching. He's not even allowing Senis to attack.+"

"+But the attacks aren't doing anything to his Bit Beast.+"

"That might be the point."

" I'll discard again. "

" Don't you realize that you're not doing anything to us? " Clio asked with confidence. Even his Bit Beast was relaxing.

"I'll discard again." Rei noticed that Vasuki didn't want to touch the cards in his hand.

"I think I'll allow you to continue to try."

"+That's the wrong move.+" Rei said more to himself.

" I'll discard. "

"+Why+" Jade asked. Right then, he smiled.

"+His plan is closer.+" Rei answered.

" I won't attack. " He drew again.

" Then I will. Tidal Wave, Senis! "

"Thank you Gurei Uingu for your help. I summon Lord of D. in Attack Mode. I'll activate the Flute of Summoning Dragon to allow Baby Dragon and Dragon Killer on the field!" He drew again, "As long as Lord of D. is on the field, your destroying all monsters effect can't harm my dragons. Dragon Killer, attack!" The humanoid dragon released a blast at Senis, actually doing damage.

"Senis, Tidal Wave!" Clio got worried again. The wave didn't take anyone. "How did they survive?"

"I activated Reinforcement for Lord of D. It gives 500 points for the attack points, giving him a hundred points above the attack." He drew again.

"Senis, Tidal Wave!" This time, Lord of D wasn't there.

"Thanks, you're playing right into my hand. I'll play Polymerization! I shall combine Baby Dragon and Time Wizard to bring out Thousand Dragon! I will also play Dragon's Treasure to increase all dragons on the field, including Nagi. Now, Triple Dragon Attack!" All three dragons attacked. The force drained the water and cracked the dish. Clio's blade was knocked out, with steam coming off of it. Rei watched Vasuki as the announcer proclaimed their victory. Clio stared at him, waiting for him to make his move.

Vasuki's eyes gleamed, shooting something that paralyzed Clio. Clio's eyes shrunk as fear took over his eyes. When Vasuki turned around, the spell was broken and Clio fell to the ground.

"Warn your last member to fear us."

"What… are you?" Clio was afraid to ask.

"Exactly what you saw."

Clio nervously picked up his blade and went quickly back to the others.

"+I'm sorry for not listening but I had Time Wizard in my hand.+" Rei noticed a hiss sound when Vasuki spoke.

"+You got the point across. Nice work.+" Kaiba-san said.

"I hope I can get as damaged as you when I battle." Neith said.

"I guess Cassander and I have to try harder to beat you." Tezcatli said.

"I'm the leader of this team. That's why I can get the goals before you can." Vasuki said with a smile. He was also back since there was no hiss.

"Don't go away folks; next up is the BladeBreakers against the Dynamo!" Rei and Jade got up and walked away.

"Rei, I want you to research everything you can about their game." Jade said with determination in her eyes.

"What about the match?"

"You're going to skip it. I know that you guys like to stick together but we that information."

"If you say so but I have a feeling that you want the information. We've fought battles knowing little about the opponent before hand and won." As Jade turned around, Rei was gone. She didn't understand what he was driving at but she continued her way to the room.

Everyone was warmed up for the match. They managed to train on make-shift stadiums that Kenny put together for them. When Jade came in, Tyson and Max crowded around her with only Kenny and Kai noticing that Rei wasn't with her, though only Kai noticed her emotionless expression.

"How did they do?" Tyson asked.

"The Yami Hunters won their match. They won all three matches. Ours are up next so I hope that you guys will be ready."

"We're ready." Max said with a smile.

"Where did Rei go?" Kenny asked, making Tyson and Max noticed his absence.

"Don't tell me that he went to go talk to them! I can't believe he would leave us at a time like this." Tyson said with annoyance.

"Tyson, I'm sure he wanted to learn more about them if he did." Max tried to calm Tyson down.

"Still…"

"I sent him on a mission." Everyone looked at Jade, "I was the one that told him not to come to this battle."

"Why?" Tyson asked.

"I understand that you guy like to be there for each other but I need him to research an item that the Yami Hunters use in their battles. Since he's not going to fight, he was the perfect one." Kai could see that something was troubling her mind.

"Well, I hope that you are all ready for this battle." Mr. Dickenson came into the room.

"We're as ready as we're gonna get." Tyson said.

"Where's Rei?" Mr. Dickenson seemed every nervous about him not being there.

"He wasn't feeling well. He wanted to take a walk." Jade answered.

"I see. Well, you three get a move on then." He left the room.

"Is there a reason you told him that?" Max asked.

"It doesn't concern you." She walked away from the door.

"Something had to have happened during that battle to make her go on edge." Kenny said.

"Yea." Tyson said but they all walked out the same.

Rei jumped into a local library, since it was close. He looked to make sure that no cameras would be on him and nothing would give him away. He logged on to the computer that was up to date in the technology. He only knew a bit about computers, growing up in the country and all, but he figured that his ninja skills might help him here. He managed to hack into the some kind of file of the BBA's but he couldn't really read it. It was all in English and the only other language was Japanese. He logged out off it and started to look for Chinese sites about them.

He was surprised to find things about Kaiba-san's company. It started as a weapon factory before turning into a toys company. Kaiba-san's father adapted him and his brother, even though he had a son of his own that died before their arrival. Eventually, he took over the company and rebuilt it anew. He was recreating computer simulation video games, devices for Duel Monsters, and many other toys. Seeing Duel Monsters, Rei clicked onto the link.

Duel Monsters was created by an American named Maxillion Pegasus. According to the site, it said that there was weak evidence that he got his idea from the ancient craves from the ancient Egyptians. It listed the strongest cards, with the God Cards being near the top. Rei went back to Kaiba's site.

Kaiba-san seemed to be getting bored as he was growing. He started to allow other companies, not caring who they were, to compete for his technology. Only one company managed to win and it was an astronaut organization. From there, Kaiba-san seemed to regain his strength. Nothing said why he became alive again but there was a rumor running around that said that Kaiba-san was hanging out a famous astronaut, Matt Ishida. There was no clear evidence that they became friends but Ishida-san did come by every now and then to Kaiba-san building.

Rei started to think maybe Ishida-san was the one that Neith met. He couldn't be sure since the picture they showed for him was when he was younger. He read on, noticing that they had something on Beyblade. It said that someone influenced him to be involved with Beyblade since he was getting bored again. He went around the world to collect his team and that was the end. Rei checked the printers to make sure they were on. He printed out the picture of Ishida-san so he could find more things about him. After he got that picture, he continued his search.

"You do realize that I could do a much better job than what Rei could do in finding the information that you want?" Kenny said as they reached the bench.

"I need you here. Rei will get the job done."

"Why do I need to be here?"

"I need you to get the data of their blades so we can prepare. I can't let this team to lose."

Tyson looked at Max with his shrugging his shoulders. Kai was getting worried about Jade, since she wasn't really acting like herself.

"Okay folks, this is going to be the last battle of the Semi-Finals!" The crowd roared. "The two teams that will be competing are the BladeBreakers and the Dynamo! First, it's Max and Sophia!" They both walked up to the dish. It was already there, just as Neith told them. It was more like a labyrinth than a maze. "This dish is called the Centaur's Wall. The players have to navigate through the maze to fight each other but there's a hidden pitfalls somewhere in the labyrinth. Bladers, are you ready! Three, two, one, Let it Rip!"

They launched their blades and both landed on the wall of the maze. But somehow their blades slipped into the labyrinth.

"How did that happen?" Kenny asked, looking through his laptop.

"It seems that top parts of the walls are actually round." Dizzy showed them what she was talking about.

"Then Max's plan didn't work." Tyson said.

"Sophia's plan failed as well." Jade said.

They moved fast towards the middle, which had two openings. It was obvious that either one wanted to get caught in the pitfalls that the announcer said were there. But both were finding it nearly impossible for them to reach the middle.

"Max, think of your movements! Don't worry about the pits!" Jade said.

" That's easy for her to say. " Max said, though knew that she was right. He thought of how to get to the middle, moving along fast though not as fast as he was before.

"Kenny, is there a way for Max to fight her without going into the middle?" Tyson asked.

"Let me see." Kenny started to type away. "There are a few pathways that would allow them to do so but I'm not sure that Max should. He might run into a pit."

"If he could end this quick then it is all the better for us." Jade said.

Kai was studying Sophia, noticing that she was looking at him. She had this calm anger that Kai knew wasn't good for Max. She was waiting for something.

"Max, find a way to get to her!" Tyson yelled.

" Huh? " Max looked at him then back to the field. Max immediately saw one and took it. As he made his way, a pitfall revealed itself. Luckily for Max, Draciel was moving too fast to get caught.

"How can anyone escape that?" Kenny asked. "The ledge is too narrow for any Beyblade."

"Go Draciel!" Draciel sped up, clashing with Sophia. Kai was a bit worried since she still wasn't focusing on the battle. He looked at Jade, seeing that she didn't even noticed.

"Jade, I think Max needs to pull back and have her follow him." Kai said.

"Why?" Jade looked at him, though he was watching the battle.

"Sophia ---" Right then, Sophia's blade smashed into Draciel with enough force to send him into the air. He managed to land on the edge. As Draciel landed in the dish, there was another pitfall. His blade's defense ring caught on the edge, saving it from the abyss below.

"Max's Beyblade has stopped spinning! Sophia is the winner!"

Max picked up Draciel very carefully before heading back. "I'm sorry guys."

"Kai, you were going to say something?" Jade looked at him. Everyone was surprised to see her angry at Kai.

"I'm surprised that you didn't catch it. She wasn't paying attention to the battle."

"Why is that a factor and what was she paying attention to?"

"I see," Max said, "She has so much control over her Beyblade. She was kinda acting like you when you battle us. Is that right, Kai?"

He nodded.

"That leaves my last question." Jade said, angry that she didn't catch it.

"Me." Kai said.

Rei managed to find information on the Duel Monsters card game. He printed the information out, since they were in Japanese. There was one name that came out on top and that was Mutou Yugi. Rei remembered the Yami Hunters mentioning him during their battle so he was definitely an important person to Kaiba-san. Once it was done, he gathered the papers and did more research.

"Our next match, it's Kai verses Don, also known as Dmitriy. The stadium is called Sharpening Stone." It came up and you could tell that the stadium was wet. Kai could also tell that the stadium was made out of stone. "The only caution here is to be careful when you pick up your Beyblades."

"What kind of warning is that?" Tyson asked as he was counting down.

"Let it Rip!" They launched their blades but no sparks came as they landed or moved.

"That's weird. You would think that sparks would form at their speed." Kenny said.

"It might have something do to with the stadium. What did you guys prepared for?" Jade looked at Kenny.

"We thought it would be a rainforest or some dirt field."

"I hope that was enough. Go Kai!" Jade yelled.

" Hey, " Kai looked at Dmitriy, " Where's Rei? My brother was looking forward to hearing him battle against me. "

" Jade wasn't sure about the performance from either Blader. "

" Oh. " He looked back at his team, " Their coach wasn't sure of the performance from either Blader. "

Basil nodded.

" What made you think that I knew Russian? " Kai asked, since that was the language they were speaking in so the others didn't know what they were talking about.

" I had to take a chance that you still remembered. " His blade went after Dranzer. As Kai allowed Dranzer to be pushed, he realized that the stadium had an unnoticeable angle nearing the top of the ring. That made it almost impossible for the Beyblade to climb up unless you managed to hit that angle with the tip. Though it was really hard to see since there was no sparks but their attack rings were hitting the dish.

Kai went on the attack, having played around for too long. He was finding it a bit difficult for him to push him around. Kai made Dranzer gather speed by encircling the dish but making sure to not hit him.

"What is Kai thinking? This isn't his style!" Jade was getting really worried.

"He probably has a plan. Kai wouldn't allow himself to lose." Tyson said, trying to calm her.

"He's gathering more speed by doing this." Kenny said.

"Then he should be attacking with it and not dodging him." Jade said in anger.

" Are you trying to mock me? " Dmitriy asked.

" Of course not. " Dranzer went onto the wall, managing to hit the angle. As Kai went around this part of the dish, he noticed that it was curved.

"Why isn't Dmitriy going after him?" Max asked.

"That's a good question." Tyson answered.

"Another one would be why is Kai testing the dish?" Jade said.

" It ends now! Go Dranzer! " Dranzer quickly wiped to the top and managed to do a flip. He landed perfectly on Dmitriy's blade to make his blade do a flip in the air before landing on his side. Luckily for Dranzer, he managed to use that hit as a recoil to regain his balance before landing. It just hit Kai that it took more skill than what he thought he had to manage that maneuver, showing how much training he still needs. Showing how much they all need.

"And the winner is Kai!" The crowd cheered. Dranzer hit the wall at a speed that would launch him back to Kai. When Kai caught him, there was this very sharp pain on his palm. He looked at it to see a clean cut below his fingers and a small puncture near the bottom on his palm. There was also cut on his thumb where it was holding Dranzer. He walked back like nothing was wrong with him though, understanding the warning.

"That was an awesome match Kai!" Tyson said.

"Kenny, get a diagram of the dish."

Kenny started to type away.

"Why?" Max asked.

"Kai!" Jade said as she reached for his hand that was holding Dranzer. That's when everyone noticed that blood was dripping from it. That motion made Kai drop a bloody Dranzer, making him realize that it was even dangerous to hold him lightly. "How did this happen?"

"I got it from Dranzer. It seems that the edges are really sharp." Kai answered as Jade was examining it.

"I can't tell if it's deep. Max, get me something to make the bleeding stop."

" Right. " Max ran out of there.

"Kenny, did you get it?" Kai asked as Jade led him to the bench.

"Not yet." He went back to looking. "Wow! I didn't even notice this!"

"What?" Both Jade and Tyson gathered around as Kenny brought the image of dish over to Kai.

"Take a look at this. It seems that there's an angle that creates a wall and that wall has a curve within it."

"But wouldn't that be noticed since the dish is wet?" Tyson asked.

"Apparently not, it seems that the moisture is seeping from the dish. Wow! It also appears that the dish is made out of stone!"

"Kai, did you see this while you were battling?" Jade asked, looking at him.

"Yea. Kenny, find out what stone that is."

"Right." He typed away again.

"I got the bandages!" Max said as he came back.

Jade then bandaged his hand but the blood seeped through it quickly. "Good thing that there are a lot of bandages here."

"Found it. It's made out of a stone that used for sharpening metal and knives. No wonder you were cut when you caught your Beyblade."

"That also explains why they haven't called for the next match." Jade said as she redressed his hand.

Rei managed to get video of all their matches. He noticed that the library had many CD disk lying around so he used them to download all their matches. He watched some of them as well, noting that when they use their cards that no one was able to touch their Beyblades. The monsters were able to defend it very well. Some of their opponents didn't have Bit Beast and that's the only time that they didn't use their cards. Even then, their skills were hard to compare. They're talented all around so he figured that Kenny would have to find a flaw that each have in their technique, that or Jade would. As he watched Ereshki's matches, he noticed that she doesn't allow her opponent time to think. She's calm and collective. He also noticed that each of them use their other person when they battle. Cassander was the only one that didn't have one but he always creep out his opponent.

Since he was on the BBA site again, which was the only site that had the videos that he could easily get, he noticed that Kaiba-san had already set up their line-up. Cassander, Neith, and Vasuki were the ones that were going to battle in the final round. He only wished that he knew that they were winning their match against the Dynamo. Once he finished downloading all that he needed, he went searching for anything else that might be out there.

"Okay, the final match we have Tyson verses Yuri! The dish that they'll be battling on is called the Finding Strength Cave." The top of the cave was transparent and there were only two openings that they could use to get in. They were really close to the edge that they would have to launch their Beyblades into the cave. There was also a steam running inside the cave that seemed to have the only purpose of scenery. "Both teams have one win so this will be an exciting match! Three, two, one, Let it Rip!"

They both launch their Beyblades into the cave with only little difficulty and they wasted no time in chasing each other.

" Go Tyson! " Max cheered. Tyson seemed to be having the upper hand.

"+Kenny, analyzed Yuri's blade.+" Jade said once she made sure that Kai's hand stopped bleeding.

"What do you want me to look for?" Kenny asked as he typed away.

"There's nothing unusual here." Dizzy reported.

"Good, but I wanted a strength comparison. If there's a chance that Yuri can become stronger then I want Tyson to get there faster."

"Right."

"He just has a normal Beyblade." Dizzy said.

"He might have a lot of skill." Kenny offered.

"Tyson, end this as quickly as you can!" Jade yelled to him.

"Roger that." Tyson said with a smile before returning to the battle. "Go Dragoon! Phantom Hurricane!" The wind around his Beyblade started to form into a mini hurricane. The wind from it took some rocks in the cave and the water to form a very dangerous hurricane.

"That's not good. If any of that debris comes out of the cave, it can seriously hurt someone." Kenny said, looking at his laptop.

"Max, don't say anything to Tyson. He can't have any worries on his mind. Only if the roof of the cave gives would we start to worry." Jade said.

Max was a bit scared of how Jade sounded but Kai gave a look that told Max not to worry.

Kai was also worried about Jade. She seemed determined to win nearing all cost. He didn't think that she would be like that.

Dragoon went straight for Yuri's blade, battering it. He stopped, and Yuri's blade stopped spinning near the cave wall. None of the debris had gotten out of the cave and Dragoon wasn't in danger when they were falling.

"And the Winner is Tyson!" The crowd cheered very loudly. "That means that the BladeBreakers are moving to the final round to face the Yami Hunters!"

"How ya like that?" Tyson said with pride as he made his way back to his team.

"That was so sweet!" Max said, giving him the thumbs up.

"Kenny, did you get all that?" Jade asked.

"It's all saved into my hard drive." Kenny closed his laptop.

"Good. Let's get back to the hotel."

"But what about Rei?" Tyson asked.

"He'll find us one way or other." They walked off.

Tyson looked back, remembering that he didn't tell Yuri how much fun the match was, but found that they had already left.

Rei managed to find information surrounding their backgrounds. He printed everything they had on them, since they were all in English. He also found this site that was heavily guarded but he managed to get into it. He heard the sound of a door being unlocked so he grabbed everything he had and went to the highest, unseen place to wait. The lights were turned on and a security guard came inside. He looked around, obviously searching for something. Rei managed to move quickly but quietly over to his entrance and left.

Tyson was lying on the bed, waiting impatiently for their friend to return.

"We got the next set of dishes." Max said, walking into the room.

"What are they?" Kenny asked.

"The first one is a recreation of the ancient city of Troy, then there's a desert, and a village. There's also a recreation of the Andes Mountains if need be."

"Then creating models for each shouldn't be a problem." Jade said, sitting near Kai.

"The two recreations anyway shouldn't be a problem but we have no idea what traps are set for the other two." Kenny said.

Jade looked out the window, seeing a good many daylight left, "Kenny, you and Dizzy do simulations for each field. Tyson, Max, you have to see what we can use around here to at least create makeshift models for the recreations."

"What are you two going to do?" Tyson asked.

"Kai is going to heal and I'm going to think up who should battle in what dish. When Rei comes, tell him that I want to see him in the other room." She kissed Kai before leaving.

"Well, we better not argue." Max said and they left to search.

"I'm going to go see if there's a plug somewhere around here. My laptop is almost low." Kenny said to Kai before leaving.

Kai lay on the bed, looking at his hand. He wondered if Jade would allow him to blade but he didn't care if she did or not. He was remembering their battle with the Dynamo. The other two were looking at him with this anger look whenever they could. They hated him and they hated Tyson. He couldn't understand why since they only met that day. It didn't really bother him but he was just a bit curious as to the reason behind their hate.

Rei managed to get to the building that Mr. Dickenson was staying at. He passed all security since he was practicing with all his ninja skills. He opened the door a little to make sure that he was in there. "Hello Mr. Dickenson."

"Rei! Oh my, you gave me a shock there." Mr. Dickenson said.

"Sorry."

"That's quite all right. Now, I hope that you're feeling better."

"I am. I was wondering if you could do us a favor." Rei had no idea why he thought that he was ill but he played along just the same.

"What is it?"

"I understand that this isn't like the World Championship Tournament but it's just as tension. You probably already know how the cards that the Yami Hunters have and we know next to nothing on them…"

"If you want information I would be glad to give you some that I have gathered." Mr. Dickenson offered.

"Thanks but I'm sure we'll figure something out. I was hoping that you could give a few minutes between each individual round and a few more between each match. That way we'll have something that we can analyze. Especially since they understand the dishes that are being used more than we do."

"That sounds like an excellent idea. I'll drop by later to tell you whether Kaiba had agree to it."

"Thanks a lot Mr. Dickenson." Rei walked out, leaving Mr. Dickenson to wonder how none of his people called him to let him know that Rei was coming.

Kai didn't realize that he fell asleep until he heard someone calling his name. He looked to find Rei standing by the door. "Where is everyone else?" Rei asked as he made his way to the bed next to him.

"Jade had them doing something for the next match." He got up but quickly forgot about his hand.

"Something wrong?" Rei got up.

"Nothing serious." Kai held his wounded hand.

"Bandages with blood seeping onto them don't mean that it's not serious. Did anyone look at it?" Rei grabbed the extra ones lying around.

"I don't need someone to look at it." Kai hated the feeling of being dependent on another.

"The cuts aren't deep so it should heal. I know herbal lotion that should heal it a lot quicker." He said once they were off.

The air was stinging the cuts as a bit more blood oozed out, "Ask Jade if she's decided the line-up and tell her not to worry about my hand."

"She's going to anyway." Rei said as he left. He figured that she was in her room so that's where he went.

Jade was pacing when Rei knocked on the door. "Good, did you…"

"Kai wants to know if you thought up the line-up yet. He also wants you to not worry about his hand. Letting you know that it's not deep."

"If it's not deep then why is there a lot of blood coming out?" She asked with worry, forgetting about her earlier question.

"The cuts are on the veins so that explains the blood. I have something that can heal it up quicker but I guess he wants to know whether that's necessary."

She sighed, "I have and he's second. I know that I shouldn't but I don't think that Max is good for any of the fields."

"Let him know that. I'm going to see if I can find the ingredients that I need." Rei left and Jade walked over to their room. Kai was sitting on the bed with hand out.

"Rei's getting the things he needs. How's the hand?"

"It'll be okay." He smiled as she walked over and sat down.

"Good, you'll need that hand. You're in the second match." As Kai pulled her closer with his other hand a few drops of blood fell from his hand. "I'm sorry. I should've noticed."

"I didn't even noticed so don't worry. I'll be fine." Kai said as he pressed his head against hers.

"I found everything I need." Rei called before entering, warning them.

"Good." Jade said as Rei made his way over.

"Either you have thick blood or your heart beats fast." Rei said as he handed Jade a bowel and towel to get his hand clean. He started mixing plants together until they created a lotion liquid.

"It smells nice." Jade said.

"It better not do the same with my hand." Kai warned.

"It wouldn't. Do you want me to apply it or Jade?"

"Show me how." Jade answered for him.

"Get some on the brush and paint it over the cuts. Give a thin coat to the fingers and a thick to the palm. Then tightly wrap the bandages around the entire hand." He decided to leave out the part that it would make his whole hand soft if they do that, thinking that Kai would refuse if told. He handed the bowel with the liquid to Jade, "I'll go help the others. I'll give my report when we come back."

"Right."

Rei got up and walked out.

"I guess you were right when you said that he'll get the job done." Kai said as she started the produce. Kai was surprised that it didn't sting.

"You doubted my judgment?" Jade had finished and started wrapping.

"I guess the important question is whether he was able to read what he found."

"I'm sure he could. He can probably read English so I'm sure it wasn't a problem. He seems to learn other languages quick."

Kai didn't want to tell her that a small device that Wu and Bastetka was his real ability of learning. Jade finished wrapping his hand, making him feel that he couldn't use it.

"You should probably get some rest. That way you won't be tempted to use your hand." Jade said, placing the bowel on the ground.

Kai pulled her down with him as he lay where he was, "You probably need rest as well." Kai didn't want to say that he wanted her to stay since he didn't want to sound like a kid.

She smiled before getting comfortable, "I'll take a nap." She kissed his forehead and moved closer to him.

He wrapped his arms around her, wondering why he wanted this feeling of being dependent.

Rei found the rest of his teammates walking back with bags in their hands. "Do you guys need any help?"

"Rei!" Tyson said before running over.

"Did you gather the information that Jade asked you to find?" Max asked.

"I did and it seems that Jade also has the line-up ready for the match."

"Great! Now all we need is to create the fields." Kenny said.

"Let's get started!" Tyson said.

They started to build the makeshift models of each dish. Rei learned the dishes and knew who was for which one. He remembered that Tezcatli was going to fight Max but he couldn't understand why one for him was a chance. Of course, he also remembered that he wasn't on the list that was posted on the BBA website. They managed to set up all the dishes and Rei lightly tested their endurance.

"That's seems to be the best that we can do." Kenny said.

"It seems good to me." They turned around to see that Jade was at the entrance to the hotel.

"Where's Kai?" Rei asked.

"He's sleeping. Max, Tyson, see how a battle would hold."

"Right." They said and got ready. They first launched into the Troy remake and it was able to hold. They jumped to the Andes Mountains with the same result. They returned their Beyblades to them.

"Great. Kenny, you did think of the traps, right?" Jade asked.

"I did but I want everyone to see it."

"Once Kai wakes up you'll go first then Rei, afterward you'll practice on these."

"How long was he planning on sleep?" Tyson asked, understanding that Kai wouldn't like to over sleep.

"He lost a lot of blood through his hand so allow him enough time for sleep. I suggest that we get something to eat and bring something back for him." Rei said.

"That sounds like the best plan I've heard all day." Tyson said, waiting for Jade to give the okay.

"Protect the models as I leave a note for him to read if he wakes up before we get back." She walked back inside and they did what they were told.

When she got back, they went to the city for something to eat. Unknown to the rest of the team, Rei asked the lady at the front desk to take down any message that was for them since he didn't want anyone to wake up Kai.

Kai started to feel something soft and warm surrounding him. He was first annoyed that voices were talking happily around him but something had set it aside. Someone was holding him lovingly, making him wonder who it was. He was trying to open his eyes but they weren't listening to him. Something made the other people leave, or it was the holder that left them. Kai wasn't scared but he was wondering what this was. He heard a clear voice, "Goodnight, little Kai. You're apart of this family now and that family is growing. You're loved here very much and you'll soon have playmates. You're my son and I love you."

Then a sound came and made the person leave. Kai can feel him yelling for him to come back, wanting him to stay with him until he fell asleep. Kai immediately woke up, realizing that it was just a dream. He calmed himself down before noticing that Jade wasn't by his side. He noticed a note that was on the pillow. It told him that they went to get themselves and him food and allowed him to sleep for as long as he needs.

Kai looked at his hand, wondering if it was okay for him to take off the wrappings. He got up and suddenly felt dizzy. So dizzy that he fell back onto the bed instead of sitting back. There was no blood on the bandages but he remembered that Jade had to change the bandages multiple times during Tyson's battle. He must've lost a lot of blood, explaining the sudden weakness that he was feeling. He lay back on the bed, too weak to sit up.

He started to rethink about the dream he had. Though he thought it was weird he saw nothing and only heard a voice, he had no other word for it then dream. He realized that it might be something from his past, remembering a dream is what brought him back to the abbey. This was the past that the lady back in Japan told him that he would find. He gained back the words that the man said to him. He had a father and for some reason he felt that other people didn't except him as his son. Their family was growing, though that in it self could mean anything. Some people didn't love him outside the area and new kids would be coming. That meant either the family or a family friend was having kids.

None of this was making sense though. All he knew was the abbey; he was told that he grew up there until he ran away. Kai started to worry that the lost of blood was effecting his judgment and thinking. He turned over the note, and wrote down what the man said to him and what he felt before and after. He stuffed the note in his pocket before falling asleep once more. He didn't want to forget the words for some unknown reason.

When they came back, they found Kai asleep.

"I guess he woke up before going back." Jade said, setting the food on the table near the bed.

"How do you figure that?" Tyson asked.

"He's in a different position and the note isn't there." She sat down near him, stroking his hair. "He must be really weak from losing blood."

"He'll be fine once he eats something." Rei said in an upbeat tone. He noticed that Kai was in a position that didn't seem like he fell asleep as soon as he found out that they weren't there. He seemed to be in a position of a bit of frustration. There was a pen near him that everyone seemed to over look and they all didn't ponder why the note wasn't seen.

"I wish that I didn't have to wake him but we need to train."

The phone rang and Rei picked it up, " Hello? "

"+Rei, I'm glad that I caught you. I managed to speak to Kaiba and he agreed to the terms that you requested.+"

"Thanks very much. We can surely use all the help that we can get." Mr. Dickenson hung up.

"Who was that?" Max asked.

"I ask Mr. Dickenson to help us for the tournament. I'll tell the terms when we're 'training'."

"At least we don't have to worry that he might show up." Jade said, looking at Kai.

Kai felt something on his head, thinking that he was in a dream again. He tried to open his eyes to see if he could to find that he did.

"Did I wake you?" He heard Jade's voice.

He looked over and smiled, "No."

"Good. We got you food. Can you sit?"

He got up to answer her question but did it too quick for the amount of blood remaining in his body. Jade immediately caught him to make sure that he didn't hurt himself in any way. "I'm okay." He said immediately.

"Lay against the backboard of the bed that way you can still rest while we're going over what we found." Rei offered to Kai and he took it.

Jade was handing him the food as Kenny gave his report.

Kenny did an overhead presentation for all of them to see. He pointed out the spots that might have traps and what could possible be there. Kai wasn't allowing his annoyance of guessing stop the presentation. He figured that the village wasn't one that they were thinking and most likely the desert as well, though he was glad that he was getting his strength back with every bit.

Once Kenny was done, it's Rei's turn to present. He announced that there was a published list of who was going to battle tomorrow. With the information of the dish, he guessed that the village was more of a model of India and the desert was in Africa, or in Egypt considering that she grew up in the desert. He gave the information about the cards, though he gave them to Kenny since he couldn't read it. He also gave the CDs to him so they could see them and learn. Kai was impressed that he found a lot of important information. Jade spend a good while studying them, as well as Kenny. They concluded that they could find some small openings in each but it doesn't happen every time, especially when they use the cards.

Kenny read the information about the cards to let everyone know about them. They were very popular in Kaiba-san's youth so that most likely explains why he wants them to learn it. Rei, having watched some of the videos already, knew that each had their own style and different cards. They haven't changed cards since their first use in battle and they did have favorites. He watched them all but he particularly studied Cassander. He could tell that there was something about him that separated him from others but he couldn't really see it. He had no other being inside him but he seemed to predict the future.

After studying the videos, Rei gave everything else he had to Jade and Kenny. They were planning their movements. That's when the Bladers gathered to let them work.

"What do you think?" Tyson asked, since they have to think on their toes during battle.

"Has Jade given you your places?" Kai asked.

"Yea. Rei's first, your next and Tyson is last." Max said.

"We don't study as hard as they want us to but we'll keep their style in mind."

"That sounds good." Tyson said, not wanting to study anyway.

"How do you feel anyway?" Rei asked.

"A lot more of my strength has returned. How long does my hand need to be wrapped?"

"You can take it off."

Kai started to un-wrap the bindings. "Was everyone at least watching their opponent?" Kai asked.

"Good thing we did since we might not get a chance to by the way they're picking at it." Tyson said.

"I was watching very carefully." Rei said.

"I watched them all. Their cards are the only unknown factor. Do you think they would use them on us?" Max asked Rei.

"I believe so. They seem only to use their cards on Bladers with Bit Beast. Not only that, they play this game called the Shadow Game that can have different rules and different endings depending on the desire of the person that summons it. They also talk in a mystically tone."

"That does seem to give them a slight advantage." Max said.

"Do you really believe in all that? They're messing with the mind." Tyson said.

"Vasuki seemed to have a goal of allowing the opponents to know to fear their group. Not only that, all have this goal of getting injured during the battle."

"How can they get injured when you can't touch the opponent?" Max asked.

"Through the Shadow Games."

"Whatever." Tyson said and began talking about something else, which only Max joined in.

Kai was glad that he was healed nicely for the match. He was now considering letting Rei know about the dream, though not knowing of a good time to tell him. Rei looked like he had something else on his mind but he didn't want to say it in front of the others. It was really late when Jade and Kenny were forced to go to bed. Jade slept though Kai could tell that she was frustrated since she believed that she was so close in cracking their code.

Rei started to hear some kind of noise. He rose quietly and was about to walk over when he heard someone else waking up. He looked to see Kai was also getting up. None of the others were up yet.

"You're up early." Rei said, hearing the noise getting louder. He now knew that the noise isn't that close to their door but it was getting there. As he was got up, he looked at the door and saw that the door reached to the ground.

"The same could be said for you." He got up, making sure that he was okay.

Rei walked over to the door, knowing that they were moving closer. "Kai, you might want to wake everyone up."

Kai just watched him, wondering why he said that.

Rei lay on the wall to which the door would open. He opened it slowly to see small, weird looking snakes, scorpion and spiders crawling all over the hallway. They all stopped immediately and started their advancement toward them, making Rei closed the door immediately, "Get everyone up."

Kai walked over to Jade, "Jade, wake up."

Rei was getting everyone else up.

"What's the matter? It's too early Rei." Tyson complained.

"Everyone get on clothes."

Everyone was getting up. Max went over to the door and opened it before Rei could tell him no. Everyone saw the creatures at the door before he slammed it.

"What are those!" Max asked, backing away from the door.

"That's why we got to leave here."

"I don't have any cloth in this room though." Jade said.

"Here." Rei gave her the man dress and she put it on. Kai placed her on his back.

"Get out of here and I'll see if I can get something from the other room." Rei said, tying on his red belt.

"Right." They got out through the window and Rei ran to the other way to the other room.

When he reached it, he discovered that the creatures were covering the entire room. He extended his pole to see if he could grab Jade's bag but he accidentally knocked it into Kai's bag, alarming the others in the room. Rei had to drop her bag and run.

"Kai, I can walk." Jade said as they were walking away from the hotel.

"It's dangerous to walk around here with no shoes on." Kai pointed out.

"You guys better run!"

They turned around to see Rei running from a herd of the creatures. That's when they started to run as well.

"Kai, you have to let me run." Jade said, knowing that she's causing him to slow down.

"Jade, I'll carry you!" Rei said, running along side them.

Kai didn't have time to argue so he hand Jade over. She was on Rei's back and they ran faster.

The sun was still in the morning position when the creatures stopped their chase. Everyone collapsed since they've been running for hours.

"Is everyone okay?" Jade asked, getting off of Rei.

"As soon as we rest for a while." Tyson said as he lay on the ground.

Rei looked behind them, wondering why they stopped. If they had continued then they would've surely gotten them. He looked up, seeing that it was still early. "What time did we have to be at the stadium?"

"Around ten, why?" Jade asked.

"Then we don't have time to rest." Rei got up.

Kenny opened his laptop, "Ahhh! He's right. We only have two hours to get there!"

"And we have no idea on where we are." Jade said.

"Great, this is a big disappointment." Tyson said, already giving up.

Kai noticed that Rei was doing something, though he couldn't tell what it was.

"We might be near Kaiba's camp. I say that we head there." Rei said, waiting for the others opinion.

"We have no other option." Max said.

"That's true." Jade said, hating the fact that they have to depend on them.

"Then it's agreed that we head over there." Tyson said, getting up. The others followed him.

Kai picked up Jade and they began their journey. It started to heat up as soon as they could see their campsite.

"What happened?" Neith asked as they got Jade into a tent to change clothes. Bastetka was making them breakfast since they had already eaten.

"Some weird creatures were crawling everywhere in our hotel. As we left, they started to chase us." Tyson summed up.

"Kai, did you see the creatures?" Ereshki asked.

"Why?"

"I want to know if it was the same as yesterday."

Kai tried to recall the creature that she killed and the ones now. He did notice that they were the same ones, minus the spiders and scorpions. "They were but there were also scorpions and spider creatures with them this time."

"Are you saying that these creatures are after us?" Tyson asked.

"No, they're after Kai. Do you have any idea on why?" Rei asked, understanding that someone is sending them.

"Obviously someone wants him to be either captured or killed. It's hard to tell which one yet." Ereshki said.

"You guys should be careful around here then. It's obvious that whoever is sending them wants to make the creatures blend into the area." Vasuki said.

"Do you think that the creatures would come here?" Vayu asked.

"Most likely not," Homer said, "They gave up on chasing them so I doubt they would continue."

"The person could always send something else after them."

"They're safe." Cassander said with a smile.

"The person probably wouldn't send anything as long as we're near them." Vasuki said, placing a hand on Vayu's head.

Rei noticed how they were treating him like a little kid right then.

"Where's Kaiba-san?" Jade asked when she came out. She was wearing a strapless red shirt; a long, hot pink skirt; and blue flower scandals. Her other red jewel was on the metal band but on the opposite side.

"He left early to make sure the dishes are set up correctly. He barely trusts others to do something that he could do himself." Neith said, handing her a bowel with her breakfast.

"If he trusts no one then why does he trust you?"

"He doesn't trust others to do something with his technology. He's been with us to know that we're good with his mind."

"Oh, did you guys hear about the new rules?" Bastetka asked.

"Rei got them but we didn't have time to hear them." Tyson said.

"We get to have two minutes between each round and five between each match." Vasuki said.

"How will that affect your card game?" Rei asked.

"Kaiba-sama told us that we have to shuffle each time a round ends." Ereshki said.

"Do you know who's battling in this round?" Jade asked.

"We know ours." Tezcatli said.

"And don't give us yours. We have a plan already set for each our matches." Neith said.

"How can you have a plan if you don't know our line-up?" Kenny asked, knowing that they didn't announce theirs.

Neith smiled in a way to let Rei know that the other being was showing, "Hurry with your breakfast and don't worry about cleaning."

"Whose turn is it today?" Tezcatli asked.

"Cassander, is it yours?" Vasuki asked, looking at him.

"I think so. I'm normally last in the line for it."

"Who do you want to use?" Ereshki asked.

"I'll use Neith's and yours since Neith is going to bring them out."

"That's fine." Neith said.

"You know where to find them."

"What are they talking about?" Tyson whispered to Rei.

"I don't really know but don't ask about it." Rei finished and handed his bowel to Bastetka.

"Thanks."

Once they all were done, they lay the bowels on the ground and left. The Yami Hunters had on their launchers when they arrived, allowing the others to know what they look like.

":Rei:" he looked over at Bastetka, who was speaking in Cantonese, ":did you gain that trust:"

":We have come to an agreement. Once we get back to Japan, I'll be working on that trust.:" Rei remembered that Kai could probably understand what their saying. ":Letting you know that Kai is probably listening in. I gave him the hearing aid.:"

":Only him:" Homer asked.

":So far.:"

":Does he know:"

":He has some idea.:"

":Then we'll continue to talk in a riddle so he doesn't get anything else.:" Kai looked back at Bastetka, giving him an angry look. Bastetka just smiled. ":What did you think those creatures were:"

":They weren't normal. They were also covering the other room that we have.:"

":That might be where they generated. What caused them to chase you:" Homer asked.

":I knocked Jade's bag into Kai's.:"

":Now what's important about Kai that makes someone send creatures to get him? Do you think that he might know:" Bastetka asked.

":What if he was born into a mystical family and now their rival wants revenge:" Vayu said, talking in Cantonese as well.

":All Kai remembers is his time in Russia.:"

":But Yoma told me that you thought they---:" Rei covered Homer's mouth.

";;Kai doesn't know that and I don't want him to yet.;;" Rei said in Italian. ";;He still has a past to search for.;;"

":Oh, then we'll keep quiet about it.:" Bastetka said.

":Our mouths are shut.:" Vayu said.

":Thanks.:" Rei didn't want him to think that his past might be with them since it might give him false hope.

Once they got to the stadium, they went to their rooms.

"+I don't like the fact that they have a plan.+" Jade said.

"+At least know that they want to hurt themselves spiritually.+" Rei said.

"You saw that during their match yesterday?"

"Yep."

"Also know that the other monsters will affect you as well."

"I'm glad to see that you're all here." Mr. Dickenson said.

"Yep, safe and sound." Tyson said, since none wanted to tell him about the creatures.

"I'm counting on you to win."

"They won't lose." Jade said harshly.

"Of course not." He walked out.

"Is there something about losing that you can't stand?" Max asked.

"We just can't lose. Got it!" She walked out.

Rei held no expression on his face, letting Kai know that he knew why she was acting like this. Kai hated the fact that he was in the dark. He wondered why Rei was keeping this from him.

" Rei, do you know why Jade is acting like this? " Kai asked in Russian as they were walking to the stage.

" Do you really want me to tell you or would you rather have Jade tell you herself? "

" I don't think she would tell me right now. "

" To her, losing means losing everything. In her past, when someone lost they were either killed or tortured. Now neither one is willing to lose and they'll make sure that they won't. "

That almost reminded him of what BIOVOLT had taught him.

"Welcome folks to the Final Match of this tournament. Who will be on top? Will it be the World Champion BladeBreakers? Or the newly Yami Hunters?" The crowd cheered. "First match is between Rei and Cassander. The dish is called the Night of Troy." They uncovered the dish to reveal that it was similar to the one that they built but there was a wooden horse in there as well. Rei noticed that Cassander couldn't tell whether to be mad or sad as he counted. "Let it Rip!"

Cassander and Rei launched into the city. Both were getting a feel of the dish, though Rei could tell that Cassander was searching for something. He decided to not allow him time to place cards on the slot for this round since he hasn't yet. Driger knocked him out with little effort, not even placing worry on Cassander or his team. That's when Rei noticed that Kaiba-san was there.

"Rei's the winner! We'll give each player two minutes before the next round."

Cassander absentmindedly took up his Beyblade and walked back to his team.

"+That wasn't too tough.+" Tyson said.

"Yea, you got us worrying over nothing." Max said.

Rei was watching Cassander. None of his teammates were talking to him. He had finally come to an emotion and it was anger. Rei could tell that this city had some affect on him but Rei couldn't understand why.

Once the two minutes were up, they were ready for the real match to begin.

"Three, two, one, Let it Rip!" They launched but this time Cassander pulled out three cards.

"I'll play the Agent of Creation, Venus!" He placed the card on the slot and a lady with wings, long hair and three spheres of purple, blue, and red forming a triangle around her appeared. "Beloved Venus, protect your city! Attack the invader!"

The spheres glowed and shot a big beam at Driger.

"Driger, move up!" Driger jumped into the air, dodging the attack.

"Daon, I summon you to the field. Attack!" A dolphin came from his Beyblade and the two blades clashed in the air.

"Woo, he's not allowing Rei to breath." Tyson said.

"Rei, go on the defense!" Max yelled.

Rei understood that going on the defense wouldn't help him. Cassander wasn't fighting him, he was fighting someone else. This city must be a way for him to recover from something. Rei was wishing he knew what it was so he could help.

Unfortunately, they managed to knock Driger out of the dish, "The winner, Cassander!"

"Rei, why didn't you call Driger!" Jade asked with anger in her voice.

Rei just walked by her, seeing that she was narrowed minded.

"Leave him to figure this out!" Jade commanded, knowing that Tyson would go.

Rei was leaning against the wall, wondering how to help him. He suddenly felt this tug on him, which he allowed to take him.

When Rei opened his eyes, he was surrounded by darkness.

"Do not worry, you're not in danger."

Rei turned around to see a guy with ancient Western clothing, "Who are you?"

"My name is Apollo and Cassander is mad at me."

"Why is he mad at you?"

"He believes that I have cursed him for something his ancestor did."

"What's the curse?"

"The gift of prophecy with no one believing the warnings."

"And you didn't give it to him?"

"Right."

"Then who did?"

"He just happens to have a natural psychic ability as well as having her spirit. You must give that spirit peace for the curse to be broken."

"That was my plan."

"Thank you."

Rei was pulled back to his body.

"Rei!" Rei looked over to see Homer.

"Yes?"

"Letting you know that Cassander's family originated from Troy during the Trojan War."

"Is that why this field was chosen?"

"No. They understand that he thinks that he carries the scars of that battle. He really is a fun-loving kid."

Rei placed his hand on Homer's shoulder, "I'll get him back for you."

Homer smiled, "Thanks."

Rei walked back to the stage.

"Good, you made it." Jade said.

"Looks like Rei has return! Let's get this final round started."

Rei walked up to the dish, "Cassander, you shouldn't be angry with this city or Apollo."

"What do you know! Your family isn't cursed!"

"Three, two, one, Let it Rip!"

"I'll teach you the meaning of fear!" He drew three cards. "I summon 7 Tsu no buki womotsu Hantaa and called Beast monsters! I'll then equip Legendary Sword, increasing his Attack and Defense points by 300!"

"I've faced death before. I know the meaning of fear. Driger, Tiger Claw!" Rei's eyes thinned as Driger appeared and started ripping the items in the city.

"Hantaa gets an increase from your beast! Daon, Bounce!" Daon came out and managed to get Driger on his nose, bouncing him up and down like he was a ball. "Hantaa, attack!"

"Driger, attack!" Driger managed to use the bounce to launch himself at Hantaa. Driger's claws killed him.

"I summon Hyosube, attack!" An aquatic creature appeared and launched at Driger.

Driger launched at him, killing him as well. "Apollo didn't place that curse on you!"

"Of course he did! Who else could give me this curse but him! Lightning Conger and Daon, attack!" An electric eel appeared along side Daon.

"Driger, Doppelganger!" There was multiple Driger's blades surrounding Daon's.

"Like this will stop me! I sacrifice Lightning Conger to summon Giant Turtle Who Feeds on Flames and Merukedoshimen juu! Now, attack them all!" They attacked all the Beyblades but none were real.

Driger came from under the ground and attack the Beyblade. That's when Cassander felt pain. "The reason you have her abilities is because she's inside you. You also have the natural ability to see the future!"

Cassander looked a little dazed until he drew, "Venus, bring me victory!" The same lady appeared again and used the beam but Driger was dodging it.

"What happened to you that made you turned cold to your gift?"

"Gift? How dare you call it a gift!" His monsters were attacking harder. "My whole life will be a laugh. No one will ever believe what I warn. Their death will not be avoided!" Tears escaped his eyes, allowing Rei to understand what had changed him. He had warned someone about their death but they didn't believe him so they were killed.

"Cassander, your team believes in your ability. Homer believes in them. You must have known that not everyone would believe in your powers."

"What good are my powers if no one believes in them!"

"You have to find that on your own. The first thing you have to do is forgive yourself. You did all that you could to save your friend."

Cassander closed his eyes and yelled, which made all his monsters attack with their most powerful attack. Driger looked at Rei before going back in his Beyblade. As the blast came, it hit both the Beyblade and Rei. When the smoke cleared, Driger was lying against a stone temple.

"The winner Cassander!"

"Thanks Rei." Cassander smiled.

"Not a problem." Rei picked up Driger. Cassander walked back to his team, with all of them happy for him. Neith hugged him.

"Well done, Cassander." Kaiba-san said.

"Yea, we knew that you could do it!" Vasuki said.

"Sorry I forgot that I still had you guys."

Rei smiled and was about go back to his team when he saw a light shining from that temple. A voice said thank you before the light disappeared. Rei smiled, knowing it was Cassander's ancestor.

"What the hell are you thinking!" Jade yelled when Rei reached them.

Rei was about to say something but the result of the Shadow Game came. Rei's eyes shrunk as pain ran through his whole body. Rei collapsed under it, breathing hard.

"Rei!" He heard Tyson called.

"I'll… be okay." Rei couldn't move his hand.

"Rei, I forgot to tell you the penalty. I had it so you will know the two greatest trials in the near future." Cassander told him.

Rei wondered how he would receive so much pain. Tyson and Max helped him to the bench.

"Any words of advice?" Rei could tell by the tone of Jade's voice that she was mad.

"Avoid the Duel Monsters, aim for their Beyblade, and ask what the Shadow Game is." Rei felt like falling asleep but he knew he couldn't.

"Let me guess, so we'll know what happens if we…"

"We're not going to lose, Tyson!" Jade said with great anger in her voice.

"Do you think the same penalty applies to them?" Kenny asked.

"It should." Max said.

"It does." Rei could sense that it does.

Once the five minutes were up, "Alright folks, this will be an exciting round! We have Kai from the BladeBreakers and Neith from the Yami Hunters! The dish is called the Secret Desert!" The dish had a mountainous region to the west, as upside down pyramid, some rock coming out of the sand and the sphinx. Kai looked at Neith to see her pondering over the dish. "Three, two, one, Let it Rip!"

They launched and clashed immediately.

"Why did you lose?" Jade whispered.

"There was something greater than the victory of that match. I know that they know I was stronger. But maybe Cassander was too emotional to have used his full powers."

"You understand that victory is everything. If he was distracted, you take it."

"Jade, you're too narrowed minded to see the big picture. That match meant nothing."

"Every match means something. Don't ever forget it." She got up.

"What are the rules for this game?" Kai asked, remembering Rei's warning.

"Sorry, I forgot to tell you!" Neith sounded a lot more cheerful than before. "My rules are Egyptian theme monsters will effect me, the loser will see their greatest fear." She drew three cards.

Kai didn't have any fears so he wasn't worried. "Go Dranzer!" The blades clashed.

"I'll play Sparks!" She slammed a card on the slot. Flames sprang from her Beyblade at Kai! He guarded his face as his whole body burned.

"Kai!" Jade worried.

"That's nothing. I did forget to mention that anyone with an Egyptian theme monster will be affected. I summon Chuuja Tenshi Lily in Attack Mode. Attack him directly!" The nurse angel launched at Kai with her giant needle going ahead of her.

"Dranzer!" Dranzer's blade launched off the pyramid and hit the nurse angel, killing her. Dranzer landed on hers, knocking it a bit but it didn't lose anything.

She drew, "Too bad I can't use his effects yet. I summon Gravekeeper's Guard in Attack Mode. That's shall be the end of my turn."

Kai started feeling this tug, or maybe a pulse. He knew he could win but he'll need to use the field. He also understood that summoning Dranzer wouldn't be a wise choice. "Dranzer, Flame Survivor!" Dranzer became aflame and launched at Gravekeeper's Guard. He tried to block it but it didn't help. Neith felt a great amount of pain as he was dying. Dranzer bounced off the mountain and clashed with hers, not allowing her time to retreat. That also seemed to cause pain.

"Skull Red Bird, attack Kai!" Neith cried. The bird appeared and went right for him. Dranzer left and used the rim to launch it at the bird, killing it. "I summon Fushisotori," a phoenix appeared, "and I sacrifice it for Gyakutenno Megami! Now attack my summoned goddess!" The green haired lady launched at Kai.

Kai managed to get Dranzer to fly towards her vertically, cutting her straight through the stomach.

"I summon Fuito in Defense Mode. I then sacrifice him to bring Labyrinth Wall!" There were walls coming from the ground. They surrounded the objects originally there, allowing Kai to see that there was something underneath the sand for the weird rock formation.

"Let's see you summon another monster after this! Dranzer, destroy the walls!" Dranzer spun faster and faster before breaking through the walls. Neith tried to get her Beyblade out of the path but Kai changed Dranzer's course. The walls disappeared and her blade spinning defenselessly. She drew but it was cleared that she could do nothing with it. Her blade landed and stopped spinning.

"The winner is Kai!" Dranzer stopped spinning once Kai bought him closer since he didn't want to cut himself again.

"That was a sweet battle!" Tyson said.

As everyone was praising Kai for his victory, Rei was listening to the Yami Hunters.

"Neithmon, may I suggest that you just use Sane in this round." Kaiba-san offered.

"Why? That kid mocked my skills."

"His style during that battle reminded me of my friend."

"Really? Well, I did feel like I was losing control over the Shadow Realm. I'll take you advice."

"Don't tell me you forgot my request?"

"Of course not. But didn't you tell Neith to focus on the mission?"

"That was for her."

Time was up and they returned to the dish.

"Three…"

"This time the Duel Monsters shall not play, mortal."

"Two…"

"Why would that make a difference?"

"One…"

"You'll see."

"Let it Rip!"

They clashed in midair, flinging Dranzer on top of the pyramid and Neith's to the mountain.

"I summon from the realm that my sons live during the night, the protector of Pharaohs, Sane!" Kai understood what Rei meant when he said they speak in the mystic tone. Her Bit Beast rose from her blade.

"Dranzer!" Dranzer appeared and they clashed with each other, showing that they were equal. They started doing laps around the dish, neither one willing to give up. Their Bit Beasts were fighting each other but none gaining ground.

As the BladeBreakers watched cheering their leader on, Rei noticed the why they were equality. This is a classic battle of light and darkness. It's one of the stories for Taoism and a mediation form he learned when he arrived in Hong Kong. Rei understood that this could go either way so he hoped that Jade wouldn't be mad if he lost this round.

Right then, Neith managed to push Dranzer hard to the top of the dish. The force was great enough to make Dranzer fly out.

"The winner is Neith!"

Both Bladers were breathing hard, showing that the last battle was war.

"Kai, don't lose the next one." Only Rei caught Jade's fear. Kai nodded.

"He's a very good opponent for anyone on this team." Neith said.

"Did you find anything else?" Kaiba-san asked.

"He has fire magic in him. This last battle will tell me how much dark power he has."

"What's your interest in this boy?" Ereshki asked.

"He might be the son of my friend."

"You mean the Holder of Light and Darkness?" Vasuki asked with a hissed.

"Yes."

"Then you must be careful, Neithmon. I heard that he was teaching someone his techniques." Tezcatli said.

"Rei will be important to him in the future. I can't see how though." Cassander said.

"How strong is Rei?" Kaiba-san looked at him.

"If we were battling at our hardest, I would've lost."

"Then I better make sure that I tie this match." Neith said.

"Then go all out." Kaiba-san said.

"But wouldn't that overwhelm Kai?" Vasuki asked.

"If he is his son then Kai will come out more powerful than before."

"But didn't you tell Neith that his son was taken when he was two?" Neith asked.

"He had learned to leave nothing to chance. He lost his love twice and he could do nothing about it. He told me that he was giving him the powers and teaching him how to use them."

"But he hasn't used them for about thirteen years." Cassander said.

"I'm counting on it being second nature."

"I understand." Neith said, shuffling her deck.

Time was up and Rei understood the outcome of this match and the next. Kai was going to tie and Tyson was going to win. The ultimate match was going to determine the winner of the whole match. Max was going to win by the grace of Tezcatli. Rei wanted to talk to Kaiba-san now, learning that he might know Kai's past.

"Three, two, one, Let it Rip!"

Both immediately summoned their Bit Beast. Neith drew three cards.

"I summon Man Eater," a plant with a face appeared, "Attack!"

"Dranzer, Fire Arrow!" Dranzer turned into a fireball and flew past Man Eater, killing it.

"Dissolverock, Defense Mode!" A melting creature appeared.

"Dranzer, attack!" Dranzer attacked it but it was negated.

"I forgot to tell you that I changed the rules. Now, each monster has a life of their own. They now have a choice to listen to us or not." Rei thought that was dangerous on her part since she would have more monsters.

"Do you really think that would affect me? That's what I'm used to." Kai was shocked that he said that since it wasn't true.

"Just thought I should mention."

"Shouldn't that be a disadvantage for you?"

"Not at all. I summon Fushisotori. Attack Kai! Dissolverock, hold Dranzer!" Fushisotori appeared and launched at Kai as Dissolverock held Dranzer. Fushisotori did Fire Arrow, causing Kai to burn again but to a higher degree.

"Dranzer, break free!" Dranzer did, "Sonic Winds!" That's when he noticed that Fushisotori wasn't on the field. Dranzer flapped his wings, sending winds to make Dissolverock solid. Then Dranzer's blade cracked him.

"I'll play Reishi Energy Kotei Souchi, which allows me to keep Fushisotori on the field."

"He'll go to the Graveyard like all the others! Go Dranzer!" Rei noticed that Kai was lost in the game, doing everything on instinct.

"Sane, attack!"

Kai looked at the sand, seeing her Bit Beast rising right under Dranzer. They clashed but Kai managed to regain his balance.

"I summon Dancing Fairy in Defense Mode."

"I thought you liked pain?" Kai asked.

"They're not going to increase my points. Fushisotori, attack!" He attacked Dranzer, who managed to block.

"Dranzer, increase our flame!" Dranzer started increasing, holding Fushisotori close.

"Sane, get Fushisotori out of there!" Sane did a head butt, forcing Dranzer to let go. "I switch Dancing Fairy to Attack mode. I'll equip Megamorph to Fushisotori, increasing his Attack points to 3400."

"How the hell can you do that? You only have three slots!"

"Equip Cards go on the monster to make it one."

"3400 you say. Well, luckily for me Dranzer can be stronger than Gate Guardian."

"But that would mean he's close to the Egyptian God Cards power! There's no way that can be!"

"Try the unity of the Legendary Bit Beast and his summoner!" The phoenix symbol appeared on his forehead.

"Well, let's see how you fair with a goddess!" The two birds clashed, proving Kai's point. Kai noticed that when she drew, she had to discard it.

"And to prove that I'm not afraid of Fushisotori, I'll leave your other monsters alone." That surprised everyone in the Yami Hunters.

"Are you sure?"

"Yea, considering that you have to discard to keep your spirit keeping machine. That's the only reason you can use Fushisotori, since he would originally go back to your hand."

"Well observed." She drew again but discarded again, "Fushisotori is at 3900."

"Announcing numbers does nothing."

"Why isn't Kai attacking?" Jade asked with hidden panic.

"Fushisotori is now at 4400, stronger than Obelisk."

"I'll allow one more turn, seeing an increase of 500."

"Now he's at 4900."

"Now, let's not hold back. Send both Fushisotori and Sane at Dranzer."

"I'll grant it, since it would be your downfall."

Both sent their energy to their Bit Beast, which made them glow more.

"Go, Fushisotori and Sane!" They launched.

"Go Dranzer!" He launched.

When they clashed, a huge light flashed and then smoke appeared. No one could see either Blader.

"Kai?" Jade called.

The smoke slowly revealed both Bladers standing, leaving the question of who won. The smoke cleared over the stadium, revealing both Beyblades down. They were just staring at each other.

"The match is a tie!"

"You are strong. Never forget this match."

"What does this mean for the penalty?"

"We both receive it, though I'll spare Neith the punishment."

Then Kai received the image. A figure was smiling at him with all the love he had and more. Kai embraced the feeling wholeheartedly. The next second, that figure was walking away from him. Kai didn't feel it as a fear but reality, making him scream to escape.

"Kai!" Jade was the first to reach him, "Kai, what's wrong?"

He looked at her with fear and sorrow; tears were threatening to form as he raised his hand to her face.

She took his hand to ease his mind, "What the hell did you do to him!" Jade was fighting her own fears.

"He's seeing his greatest fear. Unfortunately, my other is experiencing mine."

"Are you such a coward…"

"Don't you dare call me a coward." Neith's voice hissed, "We fought right before she was hit." She walked off the stage.

Rei listened to their sounds as Jade was helping Kai back. Kaiba-san placed his hand on her shoulder, "She'll be okay. She didn't want you to get hurt because she cares."

"Thank you+Kaiba-sama.+" She moved her head to rest on his arm.

"+Kai, rest here.+" Jade sat him next to Rei. She gave him a hidden kiss to the side of his head, "+You did a great job.+" She walked to the others.

"+What did you see+" Rei asked.

"Someone leaving me, though I felt it has already happened."

"Maybe it was your past."

"Then I need to talk to you some time after."

"Let me know when."

"Can you move?"

"A little." Rei decided that he would tell Kai what he heard the Yami Hunters were talking about.

"Tyson, you must win. At least then we'll have the final, death match round. Max, when we get that, you will battle."

"Why me?"

"You're going to be fresh and since they have two bench warmers, they'll send one of them."

"Right, I'll win for the team!" Tyson said.

"This is going to be an exciting match, Tyson verses Vasuki! The dish is called the Farming Village!" The huts were made out of hay and the building was made out of wood. It was easy to guess that the wooden one was palace, or at least an important place. "Three, two, one, Let it Rip!"

"You'll pay for what you did to Rei and Kai!"

"Well, I didn't touch them. But if you want a repeat, I won't summon Nagi yet." He drew three cards. "I play Army Dragon in Attack Mode. Now let's see how well your blading skills are. Attack, Army Dragon!" The dragons all launched forward with weapons in hand.

It took Tyson a while to realize that they were attacking his blade. "Move Dragoon!" He barely was able to move out of the way.

"You're not as skilled as Kai. That's why I'm not attacking you. It would be pointless."

"I'm just as skilled as Kai! Go Dragoon!" Dragoon's blade launched at the dragons, somehow defeating them.

"I can Specially Summon another Army Dragon to the field. I also summon Blackland Fire Dragon in Attack Mode!" A green dragon appeared. "Attack Army Dragon!"

"The same result will come!" Dragoon went after the Army Dragon, defeating them again.

"Another Army Dragon is able to come to the field. I'll summon La Jinn the Mystical Genie of the Lamp. But that's not the end of it. I'll sacrifice Blackland Fire Dragon to summon Parrot Dragon! La Jinn, attack!" The green genie launched and knocked his blade.

Dragoon regained his balance, "Go Dragoon, Phantom Hurricane!" Dragoon was moving towards Nagi's blade, bringing powerful winds.

Vasuki laughed, as if mocking Tyson's attack. After the clash, it seemed like nothing happened. Only Army Dragon wasn't there. "That was amusing!"

"What happened? Did Army Dragon take the attack?"

"Armies can't really last long in a hurricane." He drew, "At least you gave me an idea for the next round." He looked at the card. "Parrot Dragon, attack!" He screeched before launching.

"Go Dragoon!" Dragoon launched at him, killing him.

" Prefect! I summon Gurei Uingu!" He discard, "Now, attack twice!" The dragon struck twice with great speed.

"Dragoon, Phantom Hurricane!"

Vasuki made his blade get into the winds, flinging his blade out of the dish.

"And the winner is Tyson!"

"What was that?" Tyson wasn't happy about Vasuki's performance.

"Easy, to protect this village from danger I must give myself to the powers. Don't worry, it won't last." He walked off and the same with Tyson.

"I don't like this, that's how Kai's match went." Jade said.

"Why did Phantom Hurricane work the second time?" Max asked.

"He allowed it to work." Tyson said.

"You mean he threw the match!" Kenny was surprised.

"Now we have to be even more careful." Jade said.

"They don't even see our ultimate plan." Ereshki said.

"Even our plan is being created as we play." Vasuki said with a hiss.

"Remember, you're winning this one. Do you have a penalty?" Kaiba-san asked.

"I do and you'll know when he asks about it."

"Be careful." Neith said.

"I will." Vasuki smiled.

"Three, two, one, Let it Rip!"

"This might sound old but what ya say to a Bit to Bit fight? Nagi's been hungry for battle." His eyes glowed red.

"What are you!"

"Now, now, pay attention to our battle and not me." Nagi appeared. "We're waiting. Gather lots of energy since this is a one attack round."

"You want a powerful attack, you'll get it!" Dragoon appeared, glowing more than normal.

"You might want to gather a lot more than that." Nagi was glowing as well.

"We're ready whenever you are!"

"Alright then, Nagi, create a Monsoon!"

"Dragoon, Phantom Hurricane!"

Nagi created clouds around him, creating lots of rain, winds, waves in the wake. Dragoon made winds surrounding him. When they clashed, a big flash appeared before the big cloud of smoke. Once the smoke cleared, only Nagi was still spinning.

"Where's Dragoon?" Max asked, looking around.

Then Dragoon cane crashing down outside the ring.

"The winner is Vasuki!"

Tyson picked up Dragoon and smiled, "That was amazing! I can't wait until the next round."

"You'll need it." He walked off.

"Kenny, did you get his power?" Jade asked.

"There's no need. I'll win the next one." Tyson smiled.

"Tyson didn't use his full power." Tezcatli said.

"Good, I just wish I could finish him off."

"You still believe he has one of the Blue Eyes White Dragons?" Kaiba-san said with amusement.

"Of course he stole it, Kaiba-sama." Neith said.

"Just remember the plan." Kaiba-san smiled.

"I will, Priest Seto."

"Tyson," Rei called, "You do realize that he's going to use both cards and Bit Beast." He started to get up, recovering from the pain.

" Rei! " Max caught him before he fell. "You shouldn't have gotten up."

"I'm fine. Tyson, don't lose your edge."

"I won't Rei. I promise."

Max sat Rei back down, "Don't worry Rei, we'll win." He smiled before walking back to them.

Rei smiled and relaxed.

"Why are you worried?" Kai asked in a low voice.

"I'm not." Kai looked at him, "Tyson will win and Max will fight in the final round."

Kai was about to ask how he knew that but the announcer called the Bladers to the stage.

"Three, two, one, Let it Rip!"

"Before we get serious, I need to tell you the risk that we both face." Vasuki said.

"Then tell and get it over with!" Tyson said.

His eyes glowed, "This Shadow Game's penalty is experiencing death. Now," he drew three cards, " Let the game begin. " Vasuki looked more like a demon than a human. "I'll bring forth Nagi from his sleep." Nagi rose from his carrier in a flashy light show, "I'll place Army Dragon in Attack Mode."

"Come on out, Dragoon!" Dragoon rose from his Beyblade. "Attack Army Dragon!" He roared as he attacked.

"It's always sad that people attack them." He brought out his deck, like all the other times one was killed. "I find it amusing that you would attack them than Nagi. Are you afraid?" He shuffled his deck. He placed another on the field and drew.

"Why would I be afraid?" Dragoon attacked again.

"I'm sacrificing Army Dragon to summon Ushi Oni in Attack Mode."

"Answer me!"

"You'll understand soon, dragon stealer."

"What?"

Vasuki was just looking at him.

"Go. Draw your card."

"Thanks. I summon Uraby in Attack mode."

"Dragoon, Phantom Hurricane!"

"Nagi, Fire Throw!" Nagi roared before fire came streaming out from his month, which canceled Dragoon's attack. "I'll sacrifice Uraby and Ushi Oni to summon Gaaneshia Erefantyesu as well as La Jinn." Rei noticed Vasuki sadness, which wasn't giving him a good feeling.

"Alright, let's go Dragoon!" Dragoon glowed a brilliant blue.

Vasuki looked at his team as Nagi retreated back to his Beyblade. When he turned back around, his eyes weren't red.

"Vasuki!" Neith yelled.

"Tyson is the winner!"

"Tyson, the penalty even goes to me if I lose. So the greatest pain I can give you is letting you know that I will suffer more than any other human has. I will experience death as I continue to live. And you didn't think twice about giving it to me."

"What!"

"By making me lose, you have dealt my fate. I told you what the penalty was before our game begun. You have caused this. Now, live with the knowledge that you're decision is killing another!" Vasuki's eyes widened before falling back. Kaiba-san caught him.

"Is he okay?" Tyson asked.

"Who knows? What he told you is true." He walked to the bench.

Tyson was defeated mentally and Rei understood how they were going to win. They're willing to give up themselves but Rei couldn't understand why they would. His only reason was that Kaiba-san wanted them to suffer.

"Great job Tyson!" Jade said, ignoring his expression.

"How can you say that with a smile?" He wasn't facing her.

"Because you gave us a shot at winning this tournament. Max, you have to win!"

"What's wrong?" Kenny asked.

"I… I…"

"Folks, since we are at a stand still, each team will select a new Blader to end this match. The match will be a round only!"

"Okay Max, win this!" Jade said.

"Be careful Max." Tyson said.

"Tezcatli, don't be reckless." Neith said, gripping his arm.

"My dear Princess Neith, I can never out do what the leader has done." He kissed her hands before going on stage.

"Alright, we have Max from the BladeBreakers and Tezcatli from the Yami Hunters!" The crowd cheered. "The dish is called Forbidden Mountain City!" They raised the dish, showing it was a town on top of a mountain region. The peaks looked to be sharp as well. "Three, two, one, Let it Rip!"

They launched their Beyblades into the dish, but only Tezcatli landed at the top. He summoned his Bit Beast, Sapi.

"I suggest that you summon your Bit Beast."

"Come on out, Draciel!" Draciel rose from the Beyblade. "How about we fight without the cards?"

He placed a card down, "Rogue Doll in Attack Mode." A bodiless doll appeared with a staff in hand and a purple robe.

"Go Draciel!" Draciel attacked and killed it.

"I'll place a card face down and then summon Mysterious Puppeteer." A person with a purple robe appeared with a puppet in hand. "For every monster on the field, I gain 500 points."

"That seems unlike you."

"You don't know what I'm after. Sapi, attack!" His blade moved from the top, straight at Draciel.

"Draciel, Fortress Defense!"

"Thanks, Stop Defense! Draciel is switched to the Attacking Position, leaving your soul wide open!" Then Sapi made contact. Draciel was sent flying back.

" Draciel! "

"I then summon Niwatori to the field in Defense Mode."

"What is your penalty?" Max didn't want to believe that they could do something like this, but feeling Draciel's pain convinced him otherwise.

"I'm glad that you ask. The penalty is to be a gate."

"What does that mean?"

"You become the gate, the last gate, for the protection of this world. Once your bloodline is dry, the destruction of this world shall come. Demons will roam the Earth, killing everything in their wake."

"Why would you have that as a penalty?"

"I have to bait the Shadows. The Semi-Finals lacked the penalties." He drew. "I'll sacrifice Niwatori to summon Battle Steer! Battle Steer, attack Draciel!"

"Draciel, defend!" Draciel caught his attack, destroying the bull.

He drew, "Sapi, Poison!"

"Draciel, Viper Wall!"

When they were close to each other, Sapi moved to the left. He managed to bit Draciel in the arm, sending the poison through Draciel. As Jade was about to tell Max to not get a second bit, Sapi did anyway. Draciel attacked Sapi, sending him back into his blade as well as stopped spinning.

"The winner is Max! The BladeBreakers are the victors of this tournament!"

Max ran to the other side of the dish, "Don't take the penalty!"

Tezcatli raised his hand, freezing Max which caused him to fall. "It's alright. Tezcatli will not have this burden." His eyes widen but he fell.

"Tezcatli!" Max cried.

"He'll be okay." Kaiba-san picked him up, "His mentor took the penalty, like Neith's mentor."

"Kaiba-san, you better explain yourself!" Tyson said.

"Kaiba-sama doesn't need to explain himself to you." Neith said.

"You're not even worried about your teammates?" Max asked.

"How dare you say that I don't care!"

"Tyson, it doesn't matter. We won and that's all we need." Jade said.

"Maybe you should check your own warmth before calling others heartless." Ereshki said before they walked away.

"We aren't you guys happy? We won!" Jade said when they got back in the room. Everyone was in a gloomy mood, though Kai and Rei were still covering from their matches. Kai had wrapped his arms around Jade, trying still to comfort himself. Rei was able to cover mostly but his body had aches when he moved too fast or too much.

"Jade, we caused them pain." Max said, "How can we live with ourselves?"

"Look, they don't care. They chose it not knowing whether they would win or lose. If they won, you would've gotten it."

Rei wanted to say that they knew the outcome for the most part but he didn't understand why.

"I don't think we really deserve to win." Tyson said.

"All I have to say is don't look this way when Mr. Dickenson's party comes around."

"What party?" Kenny asked.

"Mr. Dickenson wants to give you a job well done party. I don't want to tell him that you're sorry that you won."

A note slid under the door. Rei, being the closest, picked it up and looked at it. He noticed his name at the top, Hiragana for the whole note, and something about a seahorse. As soon as his eyes shown his confusion, Kai took it.

"Rei, come to my office as soon as you can. You shall have all your answers then. Seto Kaiba."

"Why is he giving you a note?" Jade asked as Kai went to the table to grab a pencil.

"What time is this party going to start?" Rei asked as Kai handed back the note.

She looked at the clock, "At five."

Rei looked to see that it was now nearing two, "If Mr. Dickenson ask where I am, tell him I'm doing something. I won't be gone long. Kai, what do you want me to do with your note?"

"Give it to him." He went back to Jade, wrapping her in his arms again.

"Right." He left.

He was hoping that Kaiba-san would allow him to know the reasons behind the madness. He asked a security guard where Kaiba's room was and he led him there himself. It was in the stadium, which thinking about it wasn't that surprising. He was looking outside his window, which his room was on the top floor. Rei wondered if Mr. Dickenson had a room on this floor as well.

"I would think you would have your team with you." Rei said, closing the door.

"They're healing each other. How are your team's wounds?" He sat in the big chair behind the desk.

"They're getting there."

"You should sit down considering you fell with pain." Rei moved over to the other chair in front of the desk. "I could tell that you're a very reliable person. I'm betting that Mr. Dickenson has even told you things that you haven't even told your teammates. You also seem strong enough to hold all these secrets."

"I almost forgot." Rei gave him the note. He took it, reading what Kai wrote and half smiled.

"Why did he write this?"

"I can't read Hiragana or Katakana. I can understand Japanese Kanji."

"I see… so you have to have someone else read it for you. Did he read it out loud or secretively?"

"He's still recovering from his half penalty and the others saw the note. So, what are the reasons for the suffering of the Finals?"

"Would you like an answer or a story?"

"The story."

"I thought so." Rei was surprised that Kaiba-san was able to guess what he wanted to hear. He wanted to know Kaiba-san's side of the gathering story. "My plan for a team started as soon as I invested in the game. I went to a meeting that was to allow me know who were the big wigs of the game. That's where I first meet Mr. Dickenson. He had announced that he was going to create a brand new team for Japan. He had announced that it would be the best team in the world. I got tried of his pride so I proclaim that I would also start a team." Rei remembered that. Mr. Dickenson had told him about it when he came back to China to get him. He taught him more Japanese so he could live there. Every tournament that was held in Japan, he went. Their deal was that if Rei lost a match, he would be apart of that team. He won every one of them, until the formation of the BladeBreakers.

"My friend said that I should first go to Egypt to get my first member of my team. He led us to Neith, though I thought that he was just luckily to find her. We stayed with her family for a few days before he left. That's when I found out about her… abilities. Once he left for space, I took her back to Japan. He warned me to teach her Japanese but I didn't see the purpose for it until I met up with my rival and his friends.

"They were laughing up a storm of stories of why Neith was with me. Neith didn't understand why they were laughing but she proudly defended me in the only language she knew. This was my first insight that the team will forever be loyal. I'm sure that she would've mentally attacked all of them there if another rival didn't appear and explained the situation.

"I then taught her Japanese so she could teach it to the others when we got them. When we found the new member, Neith would explain everything to them. That's how each was gathered; I was only able to get them out of their countries. Everyone became loyal to me as soon as we gained them as a member.

"Once we gained everyone, I start teaching them about the Duel Monster game. Neith was teaching them the art of taming the Shadow Realm. The penalties are normally death of the soul of the person but Neith was able to teach them to give out small sufferings to the soul of the loser. The only catch to it is that Neithmon has to be present to help control the demons lurking there."

"Is that the other in Neith name?"

"Yes."

"I am able to ask you questions, right?"

"Right."

"Okay, obviously you don't want to believe in magic but you allow them to use it and you know that they have mystical powers. You even acknowledge it at sometimes."

"They have either multiple personalities, creatures live in their heads, or they're freaks."

"You're calling your team freaks?"

"And they know I do. Anything else?"

"Why does your team want to hurt themselves?"

"They want to know what it feels like to feel the ultimate suffering. Vasuki is a priest in his home country so he wants to know how to help them. Since he's the leader, the others follow his lead."

"Why is he the leader since Neith was found first?"

"My friend suggested that the member from Egypt be the strategist for the team, which she is."

"Then explain your plan for this match."

"A vision came, explaining the status about the two teams. It told that we were meant to lose but that doesn't mean the end. We would continue to be the Protectors within the Darkness. The plan was created through each match on who won and who lost. Yours wasn't important, as you noticed, since he lost his mind when his friend died."

"What did the vision tell you about our team? What are we destined to do?"

"You're destined to bring hope and comfort to those that are need. You'll bring closure to the pain that others feel. That's the destiny of the BladeBreakers name."

"So you allowed them to suffer so they can understand how to protect?"

"They did that themselves. They didn't tell me what penalty they were going to give."

"Why did Vasuki say that Tyson stole a dragon?"

"They all believe that Tyson's Dragoon is actually a Blue Eyes White Dragon that was released when I torn a card of that dragon in half before Duelist Kingdom."

That reminded Rei about the past of someone. He remembered that Kaiba-san thought that he knew who Kai's father was. "Do you know Kai's past?"

"I might but I can't say for sure until I get more testing done."

"What test do you need?"

"I can't tell you, since you're connected to him. But you can know that I'm taking this procedure with every caution."

"Why? Would it hurt him?"

"It would give him false hope… Are you telling me that Kai has no parents?"

"He doesn't remember them."

"… False hope and crush my friend."

"Why don't you tell me his name?"

"Not until I know for sure that they're connected to each other. He has been hurting for a long time and I don't want to be a cause of injuring him more."

"Didn't take you as the caring type."

"He was the first person that trusted me with secrets that would blow others away. His whole family trusts me with secrets that they can't tell others. Not only that, but I'm allow to use them in any testing I choose."

"Do you know why they're loyal to you? Both your team and friend."

"My team is considering me a bringer of some kind. They also know that I'm powerful and I won't abuse it. My friend believes in the Power of Friendship. I guess he taught me so I'm teaching the Yami Hunters."

Rei smiled, "Mr. Dickenson told me that you were a power hungry billionaire that wanted to end his own goal of purifying the game."

"If there's one thing that I've learned from my friend is that people like him have secret plans that only a few can see through the disguises. I wouldn't have guessed that he would be up to something like that until I learned what happened to a newly powerful man in the BBA. I think Mr. Dickenson was overreacting."

"They were planning on taking over the world though."

"What nutcase doesn't claim that? Mr. Dickenson was thinking that you were the only hope to save the world, not thinking about the other bladers in the world."

That just hit Rei as well. Kaiba-san's team was clearly strong and the same with Jade and Krypton, why was he be so worried as he was when he told Rei about the plan they were doing when Mr. Dickenson met him. "Is placing doubt something you always have?"

"No, my friend gave that to me. He showed me that there's always someone that will come and surpass the first. There will always be someone there incase the first fail."

"So wouldn't that mean that first shouldn't give it their all?"

"The first has to, because they will give answers that will be needed for later study. The second or third will ultimately use the knowledge the first has to win their war."

"I now see why your team is loyal to you. You give them hope, even if you don't mean it. You let them know that there's a purpose for their gifts and heritage."

"If you're done, you might want to head back to your team."

"Thanks for answering the questions." Rei got up and walked to the door before stopping, "What do you want me to do with this information?"

"Do whatever you want with them. It's obvious that your team knows about this meeting so you might as well tell them what's important to them."

"Thanks, Kaiba-sama." Rei walked out.

"Well?" Tyson asked when Rei returned.

Rei told them the reason behind the suffering, saying that it was intended for both teams' destinies. He concealed Kaiba's vision by saying that Vasuki saw it, giving it to Kaiba right before the match, explaining his calm expression during the match. Rei figured they didn't want to hear about the history of the team from Kaiba-san. He also told that they are very loyal to him, explaining why they defended him greatly. Rei told them that after the party he would let them know about something that Kaiba-san had told him. He could see in Kai's eyes that he wanted to know if it was his past.

"I'm going to see if the hotel is okay." Rei said.

"Why?" Kenny asked a bit horror stricken.

"We need to make sure that it's safe."

"You won't have enough time to go there and come back." Jade pointed out.

"Say I went there because I forgot something."

"What if I go with him?" Kai offered.

Jade looked at him then nodded, "I'll say that you two were still recovering."

"Thanks Jade." Rei left.

Kai kissed her before leaving after him.

"Well?" Kai asked when they were outside.

"He wants to be sure about your past before telling you that his friend is your father. He believes it but he wants to be sure for both of you."

"Why would he care?"

"That friend has given him more relief than before. I guess his friend is close to being totally destroyed under the weight of lost."

"What does he think he knows?"

"He believes that he knows where you got the knowledge about the Duel Monsters. Neith didn't mention anything about it during the battle but you sounded like you understood everything about it. If you are the son he thinks you are, then he also knows where you got in your training for these cards and games."

Kai recalled what happened during the match. He did mention something about Gate Guardian, understanding that this monster was pretty powerful. He also knew that the Egyptian God Cards were considered one of the strongest cards in the game. "While you were researching, did you come across the Egyptian God Cards?"

"They were very powerful cards during the Battle City tournament. Kaiba-san, Mutou-san, and a guy name Malik had one before Yugi Mutou won them all and the tournament. As a matter of fact, Mutou-san has won all major tournaments for the game and is renowned as the King of Games."

"Why were they powerful?"

"Kaiba-san was the first to acquire one of the cards, which he did multiple tests on it to determine its strength. That's how it was determined to be very powerful. Besides that, one of the cards has multiple powers which are not understood by all. Another one is able to increase its own power by the number of cards in your hand and the last is able to kill all enemy monsters by sacrificing two of your own. All cards require three monsters to be sacrificed in order to bring them to the field."

"You were able to read all of that? I thought they were in Japanese?"

"I was able to get Chinese sites for the cards as well."

"Are you able to read other languages?"

"Nope."

"What did I do that was abnormal?"

"You understood the rules and the way their launchers should work. You're able to see her weaknesses and understood something about the cards that she played. I know that Jade and Kenny didn't go over anything that they were planning, obviously whatever they did create wouldn't have worked."

"You doubt them that much?"

"Kaiba-san wasn't playing to win; he was playing for us to learn something from it. He wanted us to know that from now on, our decision to win is going to have consequences to them. That consequence might either be bad or good and that the line of that evil might be blurred under misunderstanding."

"Don't get all dramatic on me."

"Sorry."

They reached the hotel. Both were surprised at how close it was, though either one went directly from the hotel to the stadium. Rei cautiously opened the door to Jade's room, hearing nothing from inside. The room was dark, despite the cloudless sky. Kai wasn't being cautious at all. Rei heard a noise from the ceiling, sending his knife at the source. He looked quickly to see that it was one the spider creatures. It dissolved very quickly.

"All my stuff is okay and the same with Jade's. I don't believe they were sent to get something."

"They might've been sent to get you personally. Let's check the other room."

They went to their room, which had no creatures crawling around. Rei remembered that Max was poisoned by Sapi, seeing the bowel he used to create the lotion for Kai's hand. He ran out of the room and into his own. He had brought herbal vaccines for different poisons, learning that Australia had many deadly creatures.

"What are you getting?"

"Max was poisoned by Sapi. He'll be hurting by the time night comes." Rei picked vaccines that should help with the poison, remembering what he saw of Tezcatli's first battle.

"How was Max poison if Sapi didn't even touch him?"

"When Sapi bites a Bit Beast, he gives them poison. If he bites them twice then that poison is given to the Blader."

Kai remembered that Sapi did bit Draciel twice, explaining his worry. "Do you have the right things?"

"Let's hope that I do." Rei placed the items in a cloth and tied that cloth around his neck. "Let's go."

They left to go back to their friends. Kai remembered that he hasn't told Rei about the dream. He reached into his pocket to remember it better.

"What's that?" Rei asked.

"It's to help me remember a dream I had yesterday while you guys were out."

Rei remembered that they found him lying in a different position then before, "What was it about?" Rei understood that it was important, or disturbing, enough for Kai to write it down.

"I was surrounded by an overwhelming amount of love. I was then moved somewhere when a voice told me that I was loved there very much. He assured me that I was his son and that he loved me."

"Do you think that it's the same person that you feared would abandon you?"

"I think so."

"Then both have to deal with your past. At least more pieces are falling into your view."

"It's only creating more questions." Kai looked annoyed.

"As long as you're willing to find those answers, you'll be fine."

"What if I find nothing?"

"You'll find something. I'm sure that your father is wondering if you're alright. Kaiba-san thinks his friend's son was taken from him when the son was two, if you are that son then that might explain why you don't remember your past."

"But why would it even matter? What does my past from that long ago have to do with anything in the future?"

"We are supposed to bring closure to pain so maybe you're supposed to bring closure to his pain."

Kai didn't think that was the reason. The fortune-teller was the first to tell him about this so it couldn't be part of Kaiba-san's plan, whatever that was. Kai started to feel dizzy. He thought it was from all the thinking he was doing but he soon collapsed to the ground.

"Kai?" Rei was at his side, placing his hand on Kai's forehead.

"I'm fine." Kai said weakly, confirming that he had a heat exhaustion. Rei picked him up on his back and started carrying/dragging him back to the stadium. "I said I'm fine."

"I won't carry you like this into the stadium." Kai stopped struggling.

"I don't know why I told you anything." Kai said, wondering why he would. He told no one of his dream of the abbey and he definitely didn't tell anyone about his plans to go find out.

"Well, Kaiba-san said I was reliable."

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"Maybe you don't want to carry this weight around anymore since you now know that you have people you can turn to. I can see that it's having a strain on you mentally and emotionally."

"Why do I even care? Why does it even matter to me?" Rei realized that he was asking out loud but he was still going to answer.

"I believe you want a place where you can call home. The abbey is something that you want to forget so you're searching for some place where you belong and loved."

"Stop being so dramatic."

Once they were in the shade, Rei set Kai down to rest. It was during the hottest point of the day and Rei figured his lack of strength came from the blood lost and his penalty. There was a water fountain nearby so Rei brought Kai some. That seemed to do the trick. Kai still didn't look good, so Rei sat down.

"You know, people often go searching for their past. They want to know that their life has meaning or they have people they can call parents."

"Why are you interested in learning my past?"

"I want to help you find it. One's past is a very important thing. You once thought that it started with the abbey but now you know that it started somewhere else, a place where love existed."

"What did I tell you about being dramatic?"

"Sorry." Rei noticed that Kai was asleep. He decided to rest as well.

When they woke up, they went to the room to see a note. Kai read it, since it was a mixture of Hiragana and Katakana.

"You should really learn how to read Japanese." Kai said as they walked to the party room.

"Write in Kanji and I'll be fine."

They reached the room and saw a feast instead of snacks.

"I'm glad to see that you two are feeling better." Mr. Dickenson said.

"This is over flattering Mr. Dickenson." Rei said. He looked at his other teammates to see that it was the same for them but they most likely didn't say anything.

"Now, now, Rei, this tournament was very important and you won it. This small feast can't express my gratitude." That's when Kai caught that something was wrong. This party should've been given to them for defeating the Demolition Boys, not for the Yami Hunters. Sure, they had a reputation to uphold now but that still means nothing compare to the fate of the world. "Now, I don't mean to keep you waiting." Rei and Kai walked over to the table.

Tyson was pointing out things that he thought were good, though Rei was the only one listening. Kai barely got any food but he did get lots of punch.

"Are you okay?" Jade asked.

"Yea."

"Kai, you might want to eat something for your headache." Rei said.

Kai looked at him like he was crazy until he noticed that Rei was pointing to his hand, meaning Kai's cuts. He handed his first plate to Jade and grabbed another. "Why do you suggest this?" He asked low, since Mr. Dickenson was still here. Luckily, Max was distracting him.

"I think you still haven't recovered for it. That's one of the factors that made you collapse."

Kai finished grabbing food and went back over to Jade, though realizing that he really shouldn't.

"Rei, I need to speak you outside." Mr. Dickenson said once he was done with Max.

Rei sat his plate down on the table, half wondering if Tyson would eat it all by the time he returned.

"What is it, Mr. Dickenson?"

"I noticed that you went into Kaiba's office a while ago and I would like to know why."

Rei didn't show it on his face but he was surprised to hear that Mr. Dickenson was spying, though whether on him or Kaiba-san, he couldn't be sure. "He wanted to know why I threw the match between Cassander and me."

"Then why did you?"

"I wanted to add some excitement to the match."

"That seems unlike you. You weren't that different from Krypton and Jade a while ago."

Rei knew what he meant. Whenever he entered a tournament, he would win. He didn't want to be apart of any team, he only wanted to get stronger. Even with the BladeBreakers, that feeling still lingered. He believed that only recently did he escape it, though he didn't know why. "You told me that Jade is very power hungry so I wanted to see it for myself, which I did."

"Kaiba didn't try to poison you with his false words, did he?"

"He might've but why would I listen to someone you hate?"

"That's good to hear." That placed a smile on his face. "I must be off then." He walked away.

Rei saw it, saw that Mr. Dickenson was using them to gain something for himself. He had never taken Mr. Dickenson as that kind of person. He wondered if Voltaire was a byproduct of Mr. Dickenson's ambition.

"Where's Mr. Dickenson?" Jade asked, hiding her emotion of hate.

"He left." Rei didn't held any emotion for his departure, making Kai wonder what he was trying to hide.

"Should you tell us now?" Max asked.

"That's right!" Rei took off the bag around his neck, revealing the items inside.

"That's that for?" Kenny asked.

Rei was working busily, ignoring their voices.

"Rei told me that Max was poison by Sapi so he's going to see if his vaccine works." Kai said.

"I don't feel like I'm poison." Max said.

"Mr. Dickenson told me that Tezcatli's opponent in the BeyUnders was sent to the hospital for snake poison." Jade said.

That made Max really nervous.

"That should do it!" Rei said once he was done. In the bowel there was a liquid substance that didn't hold any color. "Max, drink this."

Max took it without asking why. He drank the whole thing, obviously from being very worried.

"When will we know the result?" Kenny asked.

"By the time night comes. I'm sure that it works though."

"I hope so." Max said, handing back the bowel.

"And not here, to answer your first question." Rei looked over at the table. Most of the food was gone, most likely from Tyson. His plate was empty, which was what he was hoping for. He was also glad that he didn't touch any of it in his mouth.

"Kai, how do you feel?" Jade asked.

"A lot better."

"I then suggested that we head back to the hotel."

"Okay!" Tyson grabbed more food before they walked out.

"So tell us." Jade said, wanting to know about what Kaiba-san had told him.

Rei wasn't so sure that he should tell them. He thought it was a good idea at first but he now doubted if they would believe him. "Mr. Dickenson is up to something."

"That's it?" Tyson asked.

"Kaiba-san didn't tell me anything about it, other than that Mr. Dickenson wants something from this game and he'll send us to obtain it."

"Mr. Dickenson isn't evil." Kenny said.

"I'm becoming less convinced." Rei said, understanding that they're not believing him.

"I might hate the old geezer but I don't think that he's evil. He brought you guys together to save the world, why would someone evil do that?" Jade said.

Rei wanted to tell her that he could've been on any team he wanted with anyone and Mr. Dickenson would've still sent them to fight against BIOVOLT. "Jade, did he get you a few weeks or months before the tournament that formed us?"

Jade stared at him blankly, "A few weeks and why does that have any reference to this?"

Rei know that Mr. Dickenson was planning on using him from the start; the others were picked at the whim. Mr. Dickenson told him before that tournament that his greatest opponent in that tournament would be Kai. Tyson was picked because he was skilled and had heart. "It doesn't matter." He got up and jumped through the window. He climbed to the roof, watching the sun go down.

Kai could see that Rei was thinking about everything considering Mr. Dickenson. Having the others not believe in him wasn't really hurting him but it made him stop talking about it.

"I wonder what's eating him." Tyson said, acting like it wasn't a big deal.

"Maybe he's worried about other things." Max offered.

"Kaiba-san must've done one of his mind games." Jade concluded.

"Mind games?"

"Yea, Mr. Dickenson told me that he is good at playing mind games with people."

"Maybe I should go talk to him then." Tyson started to get up.

But Kai was out the window first.

"Kai?" Jade said.

"They're both acting weird." Kenny said.

"Let's leave them." Jade said.

"Rei." Rei looked at the edge of the roof, seeing Kai pulling himself up.

Rei helped him get up, "Yea?"

"What are you discovering about Mr. Dickenson?"

Rei looked out to the horizon, "Are you sure you want to hear it? It's my own opinion fueled by Kaiba-san's words."

"I don't take you as the type to accept things just because others say so."

"I'm not sure what he's planning but I was going to be in it one way or another. He put me into Japanese tournaments to get me into a team. I'm glad that Kaiba-san didn't know that I too was supposed to be emotionless towards my teammates."

That shocked Kai, thinking that it was a lot easier for him to like the others. He remembered his words when he faced them in Siberia. "So both of you were here to win and nothing else?"

"My victories weren't fueled with the fear of losing. I wanted to be stronger and losing to me meant that I was weak and I would be force into something I wouldn't want to do."

"I'm doubtful that you got this mindset from your village."

"I got the weakness part from my village."

"You could've refused to take his offer."

"He told me that I would be stronger and that I would help save the world. He allowed me to choose the team that will accomplish this."

"Have you told anyone this before?"

"No. I wasn't supposed to."

"Then why are you telling us now?"

"I wasn't able to see that he was planning something. Kaiba-san revealed to me that even if we lost the tournament, there will be another group that's stronger than us to take up our fight."

"That can't be true."

"I believe so. It might not happen with the next day but there will be someone stronger coming behind us. Take a look at history and tell me if that isn't the case. This world wouldn't exist if there wasn't someone stronger to take control."

"How should we stop him from continuing his plan? We're not strong enough to fight him."

"Do you not believe I'm right?"

"You're right, he's planning something but we just don't know what that is. He wanted us to defeat Kaiba-san's team and Jade and Krypton to teach us how. It's obvious that he wants something, and wants to get rid of people of power that could stop him. And we were following his orders but that doesn't give us the power to stop him. What if he feels that this is the only way to do it and it just seems bad?"

"What about at the World Tournament? If he had two strong bladers waiting then he shouldn't have been too worried."

"Jade told me that they would've trained us either way, meaning the Mr. Dickenson felt that we were the only ones that could defeat them."

"I don't feel the same way. There's just something about his actions that's making me think he's doing something wrong. I understand if you don't believe, so don't act like you do."

"You didn't even mention anything about this before the party and that party itself was what got me thinking that some was wrong. We should've gotten it when we won the World Championships. We saved the world from my Grandfather. Here, we only proved to ourselves that there's more that we can learn."

Rei smiled, "Thanks Kai."

"It does seem like the others have fallen into his trap. Should we try to bring them out?"

"If they can't see it then they don't know that they've fallen into it. We have to keep an eye out for anything and try to make sure that they don't get in deeper."

"I remembered that Krypton said that Mr. Dickenson was two or three steps ahead, is that true?"

"Yep. Leaving things to chance isn't his strongest suits."

"Now you're turning into a poet."

"Sorry. Do you not like either one?"

"Not really."

"I'll try to remember that."

Kai got up, "It's getting late." He carefully walked down.

Rei followed him. When they got back into the room, everyone was in Jade's room. They were checking and packing their things, bringing it over to their room since tomorrow is when they'll be leaving. Rei was glad that no one noticed the ninja knife embedded on the ceiling.

Late into the night, Rei was awoken by this feeling that something wasn't right. He was about to get up when he heard someone called his name. He looked around, noticing that Kai was the only one up, "Yea?"

"Why are you up?" Obviously, Kai didn't want to show concern that he might've disturbed him.

"Couldn't sleep." He didn't want to tell him that there's something near. With Kai's silence, Rei could feel that he wanted to tell him something. "Is there something on your mind?"

"…… I… I'm getting this feeling… This isn't the first time either…"

"Was emotion being erased from you while you were with BIOVOLT?"

"Shouldn't that be obvious? I didn't even know the signs of love until I met Jade."

"Then explain it, I might be able to help."

"It's a desire to just have someone here with me. I just want Jade to wrap her arms around me and not let go. I thought it was just my love for her but I'm not sure…"

"It is but not the kind you would normally get from Jade. It's one that would protect you and care for you through all your faults and failures. It's one that comes from a parent."

"I'm not a kid."

"But didn't you lose those years through BIOVOLT's torture?"

"You're a poet again."

"What I'm trying to say is that you're longing is from wanting someone to hold you so you can cry, that could be a parent, siblings, friends if you allow them. It could be anyone that you want to call family." He heard a noise, though knew that it was pretty far from them. "Kai, stay here and don't get up." Rei got out of his bed.

"Why?"

"Just trust me for a while." He closed the door.

Kai didn't like the feeling he was getting and definitely not liking how Rei was acting. He got up and started to get dress.

"Kai?" He looked over to see Jade slowly rising. "What's up?"

"Rei left and I'm going to follow him."

"Did he say where he was going?"

"No, that's why I'm following him."

"I'll wake the others, that way when you bring him back we can interrogate him."

"I don't think that would be needed but wake them up anyway." He kissed her head before going out the door.

Rei went swiftly outside, seeing three figures in the darkness. He adjusted his sight, recognizing Yuri first.

" What are you guys doing here? " Rei asked in Russian.

They stopped suddenly, as in shocked to be discovered so quickly. That's when Don and Sophia came into focus as well. " We're here to capture Kai! " Yuri said, bring out a staff. That action made the others do the same.

" Why do you want to capture him? " Rei brought out his own staff, ready for the fight. " Who are you working for? "

" We're part of BIOVOLT that's trained to fight more than Beyblade. That's why we don't have Bit Beast even though we're strong enough to control one. " Sophia said.

Rei could hardly believe that Don and Basil would be apart of something like this, though seeing that Basil wasn't there was a good sign. " I won't allow you three to go on any farther. " He brought his staff into their view.

" You'll regard those words! " Yuri said, making them all launched at him.

Rei was able to handle all three with no effort at all. He was about to use some of the training that he got from the ninja but he heard his name called. He looked to see Kai was standing there.

"+Kai, get out of here+" That's when he was forced to hold back.

Kai was about to launch his Beyblade at the attackers, unable to see who they were, but then Rei was knocked to the ground and wasn't getting back up.

" Kai, come to Russia if you want to save your friend. " Kai recognized the voice as Dmitriy. Dmitriy tossed him a folded paper as a helicopter came. Kai grabbed it as they loaded him up and left. That's when Rei dropped something from his hand, having it land on the ground. Kai only watched as they took his friend away.

Once they were out of sight, Kai looked at the paper. It said, in Russian, that he has to come to Russia alone if he wants to see his friend alive. If anyone comes after them even while Kai is there, they'll kill him. Kai was angry that they're using Rei as bait, angry at himself for doing nothing. He walked over to the item that Rei dropped to see that it was Driger. He picked it up, seeing something inside it. It was a black box surrounded by a small piece of paper. Kai was able to read it, though he knew that it was all in Chinese. It told him that this was the machine that allowed him to talk in a different language and to have Jade keep his Beyblade until he came back.

Kai ran back to the room. He found that everyone was awake.

"Where's Rei?" Jade asked.

Kai placed both his blade and Rei's on the dresser, making everyone gasped.

"What happened?" Tyson asked.

Kai wanted to tell them but couldn't. He kissed Jade before grabbing his bag and running out of there. He managed to get to the airport in time for him to get on the flight he needed to head for Russia.

WOW! Talk about heart pounding! And what a long chapter this is as well… It's seventy-seven and three point six inches into the next one… I guess it's a good thing that I broke this chapter into two… Just like breaking a board… Anyway, there were many questions left unanswered for Kai… Does Kaiba-san know who his parents are, or at least his father? Does any of this have to do with his future? Why does BIOVOLT want him? What use can he still be? Will he ever have a moment's peace? What about the Yami Hunters? What's they're weight in this story? Do they even have a weight? What is Mr. Dickenson planning? All these and more might be answer! Hey, I can't grantee everything, right? And yes, I do realize that some of the questions Kai probably doesn't even care about or know to ask them but I thought I should throw them in to see how they play… Well, it's sure going to be exciting since Rei is captured by them and Kai is going over to save him. Not to mention that the others are clueless on what's going on… Hm? I wonder how this will affect Byakko?... Ja ne!


	9. Chap 8 The New Puppets for BIOVOLT

Yahho! How is everyone! I'm good… considering that I'm dead… But I'm happy as can be. :Smiles: Okay, as you well know, Rei was kid/cat napped and Kai left to go save him. What a nice friend, ne? Kai left everyone to wonder what the hell is going on… I just noticed that Kai and Rei let the others guess on what's going on between them… They only allow each other to know things… I guess that's because Rei has gotten Kai to open up a bit but only to him… Since he's supposed to protect him and all… Wow… Anyway, you didn't come here to hear my analysis; you came to read what's going on with Kai and Rei… and of course the others… Well, let's have a look, shall we?

"Where's Rei?" Jade asked.

Kai placed both his blade and Rei's on the drawer, making everyone gasped.

"What happened?" Tyson asked.

Kai wanted to tell them but couldn't. He kissed Jade before grabbing his bag and running out of there. He managed to get to the airport in time for him to get on the flight he needed to head for Russia.

Kai was running around, trying to find the plane that would take him. It was late into the night so there wasn't that much activity going on. He was on the runway, figuring that it was a privately owned jet. He looked at the ticket again, making sure that he got the right launch plat. As he was making his way over to it, spotting it once he looked again, he noticed that Kaiba's private jet was being set for launch. It was in a shape of a white, bluish dragon that looked awesome. Kai felt like he should know it but he didn't care at the moment. He moved faster, that way no one on his team would stop him, or Kaiba-san himself, from getting on that airplane.

" Glad you made it on time. " Said the attendant.

" When is this flight taking off? "

" As soon as you're ready. "

" Then let's leave. " Kai had almost forgotten how to order someone else around. He wasn't sure if he missed the feeling or not.

The attendant bowed before going to the cockpit. Kai sat down in a seat, hoping that Rei was okay.

" Letting you know that we only waiting Kai. " Don said.

Rei was chained up by the neck to the carrier and had his hands and feet bound. He would've talked to him, to get some answers from him but all he had was the hearing aid so he understood what they were talking about.

" I understand if you don't want to talk. What we're doing isn't right, I know. But this is what we're trained to do. We're here only to help BIOVOLT in its plans. My brother and I aren't here willingly. When we were small, we came to some people that would give us shelter in exchange for training. That's why Dark had to learn the Beyblade game. That's why I'm here guarding you and kidnapping you. "

At least now Rei understood that Don didn't really want to. He was an orphan and wanted a place to stay for his brother at least. He couldn't leave him out in the cold so he joined in order to save him. With all the cruelty that is imagined around that organization, it's a wonder how Don was able to stay this way. Though then again, Rei doesn't know him too well to know whether he had change or not.

" Letting you know that Kai was ordered to come alone. If he does come, I'll free you both together so you can escape back to Japan. I just first have to find someone that is willing to do that for you. "

Rei wanted to tell him that one of his friends knows a Russian but with only Japanese and Chinese on his tongue, he couldn't.

" You might as well sleep. I'm the only one guarding you so you don't have to worry about the others coming in here yelling at you for winning the Championships. The trip is a bit long. "

Rei couldn't think of anything else to do so he followed that advice.

"+Hey, wait up for a moment+"

The BladeBreakers turned around to see that Bastetka, Homer, and Vayu were running up to them.

"+Where's Rei? We wanted to say bye before leaving.+" Vayu said.

All the BladeBreakers looked at the ground.

"Where's Kai?" Bastetka asked.

"They're gone." Jade said. She hasn't turned to face them.

"Where did they go?" Homer asked.

"We don't know."

"Then we'll say bye the next time we meet. We wish you the best of luck." Bastetka said, ushering the other two to walk away.

Jade continued to the walk to their airplane and the others followed in silence.

_:Rei, can you hear me:_

Rei opened his eyes, hearing Wu. _:Wu:_

_Yes, it's me. Are you okay?_

_I'm chained but otherwise I'm okay. How can you talk to me?_

_I'm talking to you through our minds. You must be over Aksu for me to do so. Where are you heading?_

_They're taking me to Russia. _

_I know someone from there. Where in Russia?_

_Moscow would me my guess. Listen, have your friend meet up with him. _Rei looked at Don, who was sleeping.

_Why him?_

_He told me that he'll find a way to get me out of here. I have to stay for a while to make sure that Kai comes with me._

_I'll get the story when you come here. You're about to go out of range so stay safe as much as you can._

_I will. Thank you._

_Anything for my clansman._ Then the feeling was gone. Rei was hoping that he could look out the window but knew that he couldn't. He was also wondering why they didn't stop to refuel.

The airplane that Kai was riding in stopped to refuel in China. He didn't know if he was close to the White Tiger Village or not, but it would've been pointless to know. They couldn't help him in getting Rei back. Though he was hoping that if he did see them that they would be able to tell Jade that he's okay and he'll come back.

" Master Kai, the plane has finished. " The attendant said.

Kai walked back onto the plane, wondering if Rei's carrier had to stop as well.

"+Welcome back you guys+" Krypton said before Jade fell onto his chest. "What's wrong?" He could see it on the other's face as well.

"Rei and Kai are gone and we don't know where they went." Max said.

"Who left first? Did they give a reason?"

"We're guessing that Rei did since Kai came back to the room and laid both of their blades on the dresser. Then he ran out as fast as he could." Kenny said.

Krypton placed his hand on Jade's head, "Thanks for letting me know. Okay, we'll meet at the park tomorrow. There's something that I need to tell you."

"Can it wait until they come back?" Tyson asked.

"I want to get it out. Don't worry, I'm sure that they'll come back."

"What time?" Max asked.

"Three this time."

"Okay."

They left.

" Why are you putting that on him now? " Don asked as Yuri was placing a control collar around Rei's neck. They had taken off the other one to place this one but Yuri had his foot on his back.

" That way they can control him better. " Sophia said.

"We're that close to Moscow already?"

"Yep. We need to make sure that this little tiger is tamed for his duties."

"Duties? I thought that he was just bait."

"He might as well be of some use. I heard that it's getting harder and harder to find people to do the duties."

Yuri managed to get on, then hooking back the chain to a little loop that was on the back of the collar, "Now he'll be slowly turned into a puppet."

Don looked worry about something but didn't show it too much, "Does someone already have an interest in him?"

"That's what we're told. Anyway, if you were having any fun with him, you have to stop." Sophia said.

"That you be you, not me."

"What are you implying?"

"That you're a whore."

Sophia looked really angry, "I do not! How dare you say that!"

"Sophia, you know that he always call you that. Let's go." Yuri said and they walked out.

"I'm sorry Rei. I thought that they were only going to imprison you until we got what we wanted from Kai. You'll have to be even stronger than you ever have been before. I was once in the duties and it's not a fun place to be. I was able to get out since my blading skills improved but I'm sure that they're not going to let you out."

Rei was a bit worried, knowing was what being said. He wanted to know what the duties were but he had some guess as to what they were. Don's face told him that it wasn't a pleasant position to be in. He just now had to hope that he didn't have to stay there for too long.

As Kai was looking out the window, not really staring at anything, he started to wonder why he ran away from the abbey. If that was the only place he knew, then why would he attempt to run from it? That should have been the only thing that he known so he wouldn't know any other way of living. The sun was high in the sky as he allowed his eyes to sleep.

Kai was now back in the abbey. He was cradling himself since it was after his Dark Dranzer event. He wasn't too scared about the event itself but he had this dark feeling growing within him. He hadn't stopped crying since he launched Dark Dranzer, hating this feeling that was trying to find a home within him. He was saying 'father, help me' repeatedly. Kai couldn't remember the name that came in front of father since he addressed him as name-otosan.

" What did I tell you about playing with that Beyblade? " Boris came booming into his room.

" I'm sorry… " Kai was more sorry about what he unleashed inside of him.

" You're not hurt so why are you crying? "

"There's something inside me… I don't want it."

"Something inside you?"

"It's not good so I don't want it."

"Stay here until I bring the doctors to check up on you."

"Can't I go home?"

"You can't go home until you are the strongest Blader here. Now stop crying! That's the sign of weakness." Then he left.

Kai packed up all his stuff, though not a lot, and escape the abbey.

Kai woke up. After realizing that was a dream and that he was still on the plane, he started to feel that dark power swirling inside him again. It didn't bother him as much as it did in the past.

He remembered, as he was running, that he got lost. He met up with a man that said that he would take him back to Japan. Though at the time, Kai didn't know that he was working for BIOVOLT. He took him straight to his Grandfather, where his training was much harsher than anything that the abbey gave him. He became more ruthless since he was more isolated. Slowly, whoever he was crying for had slipped into empty space.

Of course now, Kai wanted to know who this other is. Who was this father that he cried for when he was scared? The father that loved him with everything he had. Does this father still love him? Is this father still alive? Why didn't he come to look for him? Kai got paper and a pen so he could write down all the information that he got from this memory trip. Once he finished, he realized that he only got information when he was sleeping. He figured that the fortune-teller might be able to give him some information, seeing that she's good at stuff like that. He placed the paper back into his bag and stared outside. The sun was coming to its setting stage.

Rei was being lead into a part of the abbey that he had never seen before. He recognized it as the part that they were trying to get into but only Tyson managed to make it all the way through, finding that Kai had skipped teams. Yuri was pushing him forward by the new collar around his neck. He pushed him down to the ground once they were standing in front of Boris, who was wearing the mask that he wore once they knew about the Demolition Boys role in the tournament.

" Kai is coming. Rei is our guarantee. " Yuri said.

" Why couldn't you get Kai along with Rei? " Boris asked with an angry tone.

" There wasn't a chance for us to do so. But we did make sure that Kai is the only one that comes. "

"+Welcome back to your abbey, Rei.+" Boris said in Japanese.

"+What do you want with Kai+"

"What makes you think that we want Kai? Ever thought that we wanted you?"

"I can understand Russian."

"Really? Well, that's a surprise. What about speaking it?"

"I'm not going to speak it with you guys around. Now, what do you want with Kai?"

"What we always wanted with him; we want him to join the team once again. And you're going to help us do so."

"What makes you think that I'm going to help you?"

"Because of the collar that's around your neck."

"And how does that make a difference?"

Boris pulled Rei up on his feet by pulling on the collar, "This allows us to control your thoughts. Once we have your thoughts, we have your body."

"I have a pretty strong mind. I doubt that you'll be able to control me."

"Is that a challenge?"

"Just tell me if you're going to harm Kai."

"Meaning?"

"Are you planning on harming Kai or not?"

"Why would we harm our star player?"

"Revenge might be a start."

"You know, I don't like that look in your eyes. It has too much fire, rebel, in them. I guess we're going to have to do something about that." The way that Boris was saying that didn't make Rei have a good feeling about it, but he didn't show it.

Boris pulled him to follow. He led him through the tunnels until they came to a door at the end of the hallway. Rei looked behind him, seeing that no one was following them.

"Where are you taking me?" Rei asked, hoping that he would get a direct answer.

"To your new residence." Boris said with a devilish smile and face.

He opened the door and tossed Rei inside before closing the door. Rei's senses were high, not liking the feeling that he was getting. His tiger eyes quickly broke down the darkness to allow him to see that he was in a room with only a bed. There was something on the bed but Rei didn't make any attempts of moving from where he was.

" Hey, what are you waiting for? " Said some male voice. It came from the bed, making Rei stay where he was even more.

The person sat up on the bed, turning on the light. He wasn't old but he wasn't young either. He might've been around Boris's age, maybe younger. He looked Russian and Rei thought that he recognized him but he couldn't place where.

" Oh, you're one of the brats that are on that traitorous team. " He got off the bed, making Rei to start to back away from him.

This made him laugh, " You're acting like a wild man that has been lost in the wild for a long time. I guess that means you're not here on your own will. I know that you understand my words so get on the bed. "

Rei wanted to know why but he couldn't ask. Seeing that Rei wasn't going to follow his order, he grabbed the collar and dragged him there. Rei was easily tossed onto the bed, where he managed to pin Rei down.

"+Get off me.+" Rei didn't care if he understood or not, it would've been obvious at his message since he was physically pushing him off.

" Oh, you still have fire in you. I guess that means that I have to take that fire out of you. " He quickly pulled the chain that connected the cuffs on Rei's hand up to a hook that was at the top of the bed.

This distracted Rei for a brief moment, though that allowed him to grab the chain that was on the legs and place that onto two hooks that were at the bottom. This was getting Rei very worried. He started to pull on his hands and legs, though he wasn't able to break free.

" They do have strong chains. Just think of the many kids they bring from the streets into rooms like this. And you're going to stay in rooms like these for a long time. " His words weren't stopping Rei's attempts. " Well, I guess there's always one way to make you stop. " That's when he pulled down Rei's pant, making Rei realized that his fear was true. He now knew what the "duties" were, making him a bit more scared than he was before. A scream could be heard outside of the door.

Kai felt something all of a sudden. He knew that something bad was happening to Rei at that moment. He got up and walked to the cockpit, " How long until we reach Russia? "

" We'll be there in the morning, Master Kai. " The attendant said.

Kai walked back to his seat, not liking this feeling that he got. He could only hope that he'll get there in time to save him.

Tyson had walked onto the walkway that faced the backyard. He was in his night cloth, looking up at the sky. He awoke with this feeling that something wasn't right with Rei. "I hope that you're okay, buddy."

Max was looking out his window, not really staring at anything. He felt this sudden jolt go through his body, knowing that something terrible was happening to Rei. Max hoped that Kai made it in time to save him. " Stay safe, Rei. "

"+Looks like you didn't learn the lesson.+" Boris said the next morning.

Rei was lying on the bed. He was so exhausted since he didn't stop fighting. He had bitten the ear of the man that had raped him, causing him to stop since it was bleeding. He was left there like he was already died. Small traces of the tears that were produce were still on his face but Rei couldn't speak to Boris.

" Bring him some pants then bring him to the chamber. " Boris left.

Rei closed his eyes, half afraid to. People got him off the hooks, revealing the scars on his legs and hands. They carried him to some room that was a lot brighter than the other room. Rei opened his eyes once he was beginning hung by the chain that was on his hands.

Kai was brought to the abbey. Boris, without the mask, greeted him like they were old friends or something. " Welcome Kai, so glad that you could come back home. "

" Where's Rei? "

"Don't tell me that you only came here for him."

"You kidnapped him, why wouldn't I come here for him?"

"Fine, I'll bring you to him." Boris walked inside.

Kai thought that was a little too easy but he didn't say anything. Kai noticed that they did a lot of remodeling to the underground place. They probably were thinking about doing this so investigators wouldn't be able to find them.

Kai heard a whipping of flesh and a scream, which sent a cold chill down his spine.

" We must be getting close. " Boris said in a light tone.

He stopped at a window. Kai stopped shy of it, worried since this is where the sounds were coming from. He saw Boris smile, making him step next to the window and look in.

Kai placed both his hands on the window, seeing Rei being suspended by a chain that was attached to the cuffs on his wrist. His ankles were also bound. Rei had no shirt on and different pants as well as no shoes. Rei's hair was over his should so the masked whip person didn't have to worry about hitting, lessening the affect of each strike. Rei looked really battered, more than any whipping should do.

With each strike, Rei gave a scream that seemed unreal. He wasn't even trying to even hide his pain. When they paused for some reason, Rei looked over in Kai's direction. His eyes were weak, seeming to fight to stay bright. Kai could almost say that they looked like they were fighting to stay alive. As Rei stared at him for a long while, his eyes brighten a bit with recognition of his leader. Kai wondered what they had done to him in a short time that could make him lose so much life.

" What the hell did you do to him? "

"You didn't want to join us so this is his punishment." The whipping continued.

"I'll stay, I'll train, I'll do whatever you say." Kai didn't want Rei to suffer because of his past.

"Very well then, you both will become members of our new team. You will do everything that we say and never question what we say."

Kai nodded and then he heard that the whipping stopped. He looked to see them taking Rei off the hook.

"Take off the chains; he won't be any more trouble as long as he's with me."

"Unfortunately, we can't guarantee that so we must keep them on. Let me bring you to your new room."

Boris brought Kai to his childhood room. Kai remembered his dream, seeing himself sitting at the corner of the bed crying his eyes out. The only other thing that was in the room was a desk for any study they were allowed to do.

"Does this look familiar? We kept it the same as when you fled."

"Why didn't you place me in here when I came back the last time?" Kai didn't look at him. He walked into the room, placing his bag near the end of the bed.

"We didn't think that we should. You're schedule is on the desk. If you're late, even by a minute…"

"You don't have to worry about that. I'll be there early, before even your earliest person." Kai knew what he was implying.

"Good." Boris left. Kai punched the ground, remembering Rei's lifeless expression on his face as he looked at him. There wasn't even a pled for help, he just looked like he accepted it until he realized that Kai was the one that was looking at him.

Rei was chained to the wall of a cell. Rei had no strength left in himself to lift him up from the ground. There was nothing but emptiness in his eyes as he lay like an animal on the floor.

"+That's a good look for you Rei.+" Rei recognized the voice. It was the voice of his nightmares for a long while. He didn't stir though he was scared at what was going to happen next.

"+At least he got the job done.+" Tala said.

" Now boys, he's now more valuable than before. " Rei heard Boris's voice.

" What do you mean? " Spencer asked.

" Kai will only listen to what we say if we threaten to harm Rei. And since Rei is a strong Blader himself, we can threaten him by harming Kai. " Rei now wanted to move but couldn't.

" But I thought that Rei was going to serve in the duties department? " Ian asked.

" Kai doesn't need to know that detail. Now, get back to your training! "

" Right." All four said before leaving.

"+Hear that Rei. Fight back and Kai will suffer. Today was the first time that I saw emotion on his face since he was a kid. Do something unpleasing and Kai will have to witness your suffering. That's how we're going to harm Kai.+" He walked away.

Rei closed his eyes, softly crying since he was both scared for himself and all the future choices he will have to make.

"Okay Krypton, what did you want to talk to us about?" Tyson asked. Everyone arrived together to find that Krypton was there early.

"You guys have to go to Mr. Dickenson to tell him what happened to Rei and Kai. Also, tell him to leave it to them to come back…"

"Why? They were taken away from us! We should do everything we can to find where they went!" Max said.

"If we interfere then we might be putting them in more danger. Listen, the people kidnapped Rei, making him a target to harm if something goes wrong. They wanted Kai there for some reason, so he's not in as much danger as Rei is."

"I see, if Mr. Dickenson tries to find them, they might hurt Rei." Kenny said.

"Or worst. Once you have told Mr. Dickenson about this then I want someone to tell his boss as well. After that, every day have someone come here for an hour before heading back home. They might think about meeting here if they come back, knowing that this is where we always meet. Don't worry about contacting us since we have our way of knowing."

"Okay, we will do this. Do you have an idea on who did this?" Tyson asked.

"From what I got from Jade, my guess would be BIOVOLT."

"Why them? How did you get that from Jade?" Kenny asked. Everyone noticed that she wasn't there but knew not to ask why.

"Jade told me that there was a team that came from Russia. Since one was looking at Kai with angry eyes means that they hate him for some reason. That reason could be that he left BIOVOLT or something else. BIOVOLT would be the only organization that would want Kai for anything, considering that he could wield the power of Dark Dranzer."

Everyone had forgotten about that Bit Beast. They all left since they had to go tell Mr. Dickenson what has happened, knowing that he was going to leave earlier than them.

Wow! This is getting violent… I hope that you guys can handle it… Obviously, I'm cutting key points in the story since you can just imagine what's going on. Poor Rei, it seems like he's going to be tortured slowly and painfully. Hope that Kai can keep him safe. What will happen in the next chapter? Will they escape and make a quick dash for freedom? Or will they become the puppets that BIOVOLT wants them to be? All very interesting questions to be solved in the next chapter… Baibai!


	10. Chap 9 First Signs of Betrayal

Hi yawl… Sorry, I had to do that… Anyway, how are you guys doing? Hope that you're healthy! Well… you know that Rei and Kai are trapped in the abbey… Tyson and the others are extremely worried about them… Rei is going through torture… Kai is going through mental torture… Everyone else is going through emotional stress… Wow… Maybe Rei shouldn't have allowed himself to be kidnapped… That would've saved them a lot of strain… But I shouldn't be talking bad about Rei… After all, he's going through a more serious torture than all the others… I mean, the first day he was left so weak that he couldn't fight back… And since they're bad people, you know that they're not going to be fair with him… I wonder if Kai will ever know what they're doing to him… I wonder if Rei will ever tell anyone about it… Anyway, I think I should allow them to tell the story now… Yea, that sounds good…

"Mr. Dickenson, we have to tell you something!" Tyson said as they came into the office.

"What's wrong, Tyson?" He asked, seeing their excitement.

"Someone had kidnapped Rei and Kai." Max said.

"What! When did this happen?"

"When we were able to leave Australia." Kenny said.

"Why come to me now? You should've come to me yesterday." He was able to pick up the phone to call someone.

"Don't do anything about it though." Tyson said, making him stop to stare at him, "Krypton advised that we do nothing about it. If we do anything that might in danger them."

Mr. Dickenson fell back into his seat.

"Once they come back, we'll let you know." Max said.

"Thank you… Does he have any idea on who did this?"

"BIOVOLT is his guess."

"I'll keep my ears open for anything." They left his office.

Kai looked at the schedule to see what he needed to do. There was only one time for him to find Rei. He had an idea on where he would be but even there was a labyrinth. He noticed the first training was very soon. He placed the paper in his pocket and walked out.

"+Get up+" Rei heard before feeling a kick to his stomach. He opened his eyes to see that Boris was over him. He started to lift himself up but didn't have the strength. Boris grabbed his neck, bringing him closer to Boris face, "+You better find the strength to get up. Otherwise Kai will see you suffer.+"

Rei tapped into Byakko's strength, allowing him to get up. That's when he noticed that he wasn't on the chain that was on the wall. He was pulled somehow towards the front of the cell, making him fall again.

He was kicked again, "+Get up+"

Rei noticed that his head was hanging over the floor, letting him know that Boris had some leash on him. He got up again, staggering after Boris as he walked through the tunnel.

"+You will battle Kai. When someone loses, that person will be sent to the room. That will happen with all of your matches.+" Boris explained. "+But if you lose on purpose, both will be sent there.+"

Rei knew that he couldn't let anyone go there. He knew that no one should ever go through that he went through, and going to go through. But he wasn't sure how to make it look like he was trying.

When they walked into a specialized built training room, Kai was waiting. Rei noticed the look of hidden worry in his face, but new that the worry should be on his.

Kai was wondering why Rei was being led in by a chain and collar. He was still cuffed on the hands and legs. " Why? "

" Like I said, we don't have any grantees that he will cause no trouble. " Rei understood what they mean by that, since he bit someone to get out of that situation. But now, he wasn't sure if he could still do that.

Kai just stood there. There wasn't anything he could do about it, they were under their control. " What now? "

" You two are going to fight each other. " He took off the chain and pushed Rei into a closed, clear box with no roof.

Kai walked inside when he noticed that Boris was walking away from them. "+Rei, talk to me in some Chinese dialect.+" Kai said quickly as he passed him to get on the other side.

"+There are two Beyblades beside you. Pick them up and use them.+" Boris said with an overhead. They did. Kai noticed that Rei was shaking as he picked up and steady the launcher. "+Three, two, one, Let it Rip+"

They launched and immediately Kai noticed that Rei was fighting like this was a tournament battle. Kai didn't know a way to tell him anything. He knew that Boris was listening, and he knew the only two languages that Kai could speak. As he was fighting back like it was a tournament battle as well, figuring that Rei had his reasons for it, he mentally battled his memory for anything that could give back the tongue for the Chinese he understood. He never showed it on his face but he silently hoped that his father's resurfacing presence would bring back that tongue.

":Kai, I can't tell you anything.:" Rei said with such weakness that it made Kai's heart sank. ":Don't worry about me. I will stay alive for as long as it takes. Don will get us out somehow.:" That shocked Kai since Rei was saying that he was being put through something that could kill him. Right then, Kai knew that he had to find a way for him to talk to Rei alone without anyone able to disrupt them.

Kai's blade managed to knock Rei's blade out of the dish. Kai had a feeling that Rei lost on purpose but he couldn't see it on Rei's lifeless eyes.

"+The winner, Kai+"

People in those robes came in, placed a chain on the collar, and took him away.

" What did he say to you? " Boris asked.

" I don't know. All I was able to get out of it was my name. I guess he thought he was speaking in Japanese. "

"Did he lose on purpose?"

"No. I won." Kai knew that it wasn't a good thing to tell him that he lost on purpose.

With that, he left and everyone else that was going to train came in. No one seemed to care that Kai was there, though everyone did notice. Tala walked up to him, "Boris said that you're training is done for these session. So you can do whatever you want." He left him with that.

He walked to his room, looking around to see what was there. They didn't leave him anything, but glad to know that there wasn't any cameras. A knock came to his door before a note came under the door. Kai went over and picked it up. It was from Don, saying to meet him at some restaurant and he'll explain everything. He didn't realize that they were there and he wanted to talk to them anyway. He allowed himself some time to calm himself, since they were the ones that brought Rei over here.

Once he steadied himself, he walked out. It wasn't hard to find the place. Kai spotted Don easily, so he went over to him. "You wanted to talk?"

"Yea. First, let me say that I'm sorry for kidnapping Rei. We were ordered to do so and there's nothing that I can do about it."

"You always have a choice." Kai should know that lesson well.

"You should understand how they get their wrappings around you. My brother and I are orphans, we have no where else to go, no one that we can trust. If it was only me, I would leave as soon as I got the chance but I can't."

"Is that all you wanted to tell me?"

"No, wait a few days. I managed to get someone that should be able to get you out of here. I went way out of town to make sure that they wouldn't be with BIOVOLT. I'm going to meet him when he comes up. If he's for real, he's going to get you out."

"How will you know when he comes up?"

"We always have a few hours to ourselves every day. During that time, I'm going to see if I can find him. He won't be up for a few days though."

"Where's your brother?"

"He's searching for Rei."

"Why?"

"We know that they placed him in a cell, but we don't know which one. He's going to find him so that we know where he is if we can't get you two in the same place. Not only that, he's going to give him some small amount of food and water."

"They're not going to feed him?"

"No, they wouldn't do that to a prisoner. He might become more and more lifeless, and don't be surprised if he becomes silent on your way home."

"What are they doing to him?"

"Do you know what the duties are?"

"What are you two talking about?" They looked beside them to see Sophia standing there.

"Nothing, Sophia." Don answered.

"Then get going, you should train your brother."

Don got up and left.

"Is there something wrong with two Russian talking to each other?" Kai asked.

"Yes, especially when it involves you. He knows that he can't talk to you, traitor."

"What's your reason for hating me so much?"

"You're behavior. You think you're better than everyone else, but you're not."

"Tell Boris and my Grandfather that. I'm sure they'll tell you otherwise."

"Tala should be at the top. He has worked much harder than you ever did."

"Whatever." He got up and left her.

Rei was left weak from his last encounter. He was starving since he didn't touch the food at the "party". His muscles ached from fighting back, though this time the person made sure that Rei couldn't harm him. He heard someone coming down the tunnel. They sounded small, meaning that it wasn't Boris or one of the Demo Boys. He wondered why someone would be down here, though he didn't care who it was since they wouldn't help him anyway. They stopped in front of his cell.

"Rei, are you in here?"

It was Basil! Rei looked up to see him sensing for him.

"+I'm here.+" He couldn't speak to him in Russian, unfortunately.

" Oh, right. Brother said that you wouldn't speak Russian. I brought you some food and water. " He unwrapped a cloth to reveal a loaf of bread. Rei moved slowly over to him since he didn't want to appear to be really hungry. He managed to reach really close to the front of the cell before the chain stopped him. Basil placed the loaf into the cell so Rei could reach it.

Rei took it and started eating it. He didn't realize how hungry he really was until now. He still didn't eat it like an animal. Basil placed a small bowl with water inside it.

" I don't know how many times I can come by but I'll come as often as I can. Brother is getting someone up here to help you two, but he's not sure when he'll be here. "

" Thanks. " Rei said in English, one of the few phrases he knows.

" You're welcome. " Then he left.

Rei pulled the bowl inside the cell, incase someone else came by. He eat it calmly, he was feeling something taking his humanity away from him. He didn't want to lose the only thing that made him human. Once done, he hid the bowl since he didn't want Boris or someone to see it. He was really glad that he managed to get that, since it refreshed him. He was able to think more clearly, knowing what was going on and what he had to do. He had to live to make sure that nothing happened to Kai. They had to get out of here, and they had to get out of here together. He also knew that he couldn't allow anyone else to go through what he has been through. The only thing he wasn't sure of is himself when he enters that room. His own life is important, but if he does something, how will that affect Kai? What would they do to him if he fought back?

" According to Sophia, Kai and Dmitriy were talking to each other. " He heard Tala say.

" Really? Well, we'll keep a closer eye on the brothers. "

"What if they're planning on getting them out?"

"If they do, they'll be correctly punished." They reached Rei's cell and he acted like he was still weak. "Seems like no one has come down here."

"Do you want me to assign Brain to watch him for the rest of the day?"

"Do that, incase they haven't come yet." They left Rei alone again to his thoughts.

He was really glad that Basil was able to come to him, but knew that this was going to be the only meal that he'll have for a long time. He wondered how long they were going to be trapped here before someone came to get them.

Days went without anything happening. Kai noticed that Tala and the others had a look of victory on their face, but didn't know why. Every time he saw Rei, he was getting worse. He wasn't allowed to talk to him, enforced by guards surrounding Rei. Kai also noticed that Don wasn't coming by at all. He said that the person would be here in a few days, but it seemed too long. With each time he saw Rei, including within the same day, he was losing more life. Don was about to tell him about some duty that Rei was doing, though Kai had no idea on what that is. That term was never use when he was there, though it could've come up after he left.

"Why are you allowing him to come be on the team?" Tala asked angry as they tossed Rei into the cell.

"He loses every match." Ian added.

"That's because of a threat I made. At first, I thought it was his skills but soon realized that he doesn't want the others to be in the room." Boris said. "+Isn't that right, Rei+"

Rei glared at him. He hated him, he hated them. He was starting to use Byakko's power again; since he had some amount of food in his stomach he was able to use that to give him strength. He could feel them fusing more and more together, but Rei wouldn't allow him control.

" Go train! " Boris ordered.

" Right! " Tala and Ian said before leaving.

"+You're noble, Rei. But you're nobility will be taken out of you, one way or another.+" He left as well.

Kai was looking around the cellar to see if he could find Rei while he was on his break. He couldn't rely on Don to get them out. He had to make sure that Rei was okay. He knew that they didn't have too many cameras down here, but they did have overheads incase they had guards around to shield the prisoner.

"What are you doing down here?" Tala was standing in front of him with Ian.

"Just remembering." He didn't want to bring harm to Rei.

"That seems unlikely. Go back the way you came."

Kai followed their order, knowing that Rei was somewhere down that way.

Early that morning, Don was standing in the hallway where a camera would not be. Kai calmly walked that way, not saying a word.

"The guy is here, but to make sure that he's trustworthy he said to ask if you recognized the names Wu, Bastetka, or Yoma."

"I know all three names. Okay, when will we get out of here?"

"Tonight then. It won't be hard to get Rei into your room. Not from what I'm hearing from the others." He left.

Kai went on his way to the training room. As he was battling someone, he was able to watch Rei battle. Since Rei was in front of him, he suddenly noticed that he had a tattoo on his back! He couldn't really see it too well, being covered with whip marks and blood, but he wondered when he got it. He also noticed how skinny he was looking, as well as pale. He seemed to have no life in him, and not to mention that he lost the match. As they were taking Rei away, Kai won his match. When he looked back up, he had lost Rei.

"Excellent performance, Kai." Boris said as Kai was walking out.

"You have a point?"

"Well, I guess you should know that we've decided to place you and Rei on a new team. We're going to be testing this team against another team that we've already chosen."

"What team would that be?" Kai really hoped that it was a team that he knew but didn't express it on his face.

"The BladeBreakers." Boris seemed to be gleaming with some inner joy.

"Why up against them?"

"You still need to beat them. On this team, you're the leader."

"Wasn't I the leader of the Demolition Boys?"

"No, Tala was still the leader when you were on it. We were always planning on giving you your own team one of the days but then you left us."

"When will this battle take place?"

"Two days from now. That way we can make sure that Rei won't try to run."

"Don't you mean to make sure that Rei looks healthy?"

"He is healthy." He seemed to laugh at this comment but Kai didn't understand why. He kept on laughing as he walked away from him.

Rei was fighting hard against the chains. He was on some lab table, knowing that they were going to do something to him. As he was moving violently, blood started to run down his arms and drip down his ankles.

"+Now Rei, you don't want to look bad in front of your friends, do you+" Boris said as he entered the room.

"+What the hell are you talking about+" All of Rei's stress and hungry were filling with worry and fright.

"+Ah, you finally speak. Well, we've decided that you and Kai are going to fight against the BladeBreakers. We haven't decided who else will be on the team to make sure that you two are in line but we'll come up with two very soon.+"

"Why am I here?"

"Well, we can't have you in chains, now can we?" Boris said as he stroked the chains that held Rei's hands. "So we're going to implant a small chip upon your head to make sure that you obey us." As he started to leave, " Go ahead, and don't give him any pain killers. "

As the door closed, Rei knew that is might be the biggest trail in his life.

" Is he still alive? " Rei suddenly heard. He kept his head down, not making any noise. The voice was new, male voice.

" Yes, he is. We would like to test something if you don't mind. We placed this chip to test out his obedience. " Right then, a sharp pain raced through the side of his head but he still didn't move.

" All right, I'll test it for you. "

" Great. Bring Rei to the room. "

The gate opened and people walked in. They unhooked Rei from the wall, and unclipped his cuffs. They stood him up, though he caught his own balance. He kept his head down as they were leading them to the room.

"+Rei, as soon as you're done, head to the training room. Your opponent will be in the cell besides Kai.+" Boris said, having Rei nodded his head.

They were left in the room. Rei immediately noticed that they have cleaned the place, placed new sheets, the lights were off, there was a small incense stick burning in the corner adjacent to the bed, there was no cameras in the room. The room was nearly sound proof, but Rei knew a way around that.

The guy ordered Rei to the bed, and he listened. This was going to be the last time, the final time that this was going to happen. As the ordeal unfolded, Rei elongated his nails and lightly laid them on his back. He started to suck under his chin where his neck met, giving the person some strange delight. Slowly, Rei started to bare his teeth on his neck. When he ordered him to stop, saying that it wasn't pleasant anymore, Rei pressed harder, now drawing blood. Rei noticed how he liked the taste of it, tasting like some seducing honey.

Now the guy was really nervous, demanding that he stopped, kicking and hitting to make he let go. Rei now dug his nails into his back, freezing him long enough for his to deliver the last bit to crush his windpipe.

Kai started his afternoon match when Rei walked in with no chains on. Kai wondered why he didn't try to escape but then figured that he couldn't. Since Rei was parallel to his line of sight, he was able to watch him. It didn't take Rei's opponent long to beat him, but then Rei's body language told everyone to stay away. The kid said something to him, clicking something in his mind. Rei raised his eyes to him but Kai couldn't read the expression. The curtains were pulled around there as Rei launched at the kid. They were able to hear a faint scream, since these are sound proof glass. Kai saw them shock Rei with a high voltage weapon.

"Rei!" Kai went right up to the glass.

" Our match isn't over! " Called his opponent.

Kai finished it right there then ran out of the cell block. Tala got in his way before he could reach the entrance to the cells.

" Out of my way, Tala! "

"Boris gave me orders to not allow you to come down." They heard ripping of flesh and different people screaming in horror. "What the hell is Rei?"

"You made him this way."

"Good, you keep him out." Kai turned around to see Boris standing there.

Then there was an eerie silence that crept out of the stairwell. Kai ran passed Tala, hoping that Rei was okay. There were puddles of blood as he passed the spot where Tala had stopped him the night before. He stopped where all the blood seemed to lead. He looked inside to only see glowing golden eyes glaring at him. There was a deep fire within them that Kai had never seen in Rei before.

A pair of footsteps was heard coming down the tunnel. Rei knew that it was Boris but he didn't recognize the person who was looking at him so strangely.

"+What had you done to him+" The boy demanded.

"+Why do you blame us+"

"Because you're the one torturing him." This caught Rei's attention so he wasn't going to attack the opened boy or Boris.

"I promise that we have done nothing to him."

The boy looked at him then back at Boris, "Bring him to my room."

"Why?"

"Do I really need a reason?"

Boris looked at Rei then back at him, "No, you don't."

"Then bring him there." Kai walked away, he remembered that Don said that tonight would be their escape. He figured now would be as good time as any to get him in his room.

"Where are the soldiers?" Boris asked Rei once the other boy was gone.

Rei raised them from the ground, showing Boris his destructive, murderous nature. He walked into the light, revealing all the blood that was on him.

"Have we really made you so inhuman?" Boris smiled joyously at this. Rei placed his hand on the bars but was shocked. "Electricity runs through them now. I see that you still have the collar on." Rei was knocked out again.

The next thing that Rei knew, he was being showered by water. His clothes were still on and he was in a bright room.

"Good, you're up. You have to go to your next appointed room."

As Boris was reaching over, Rei attempted to bit his hand off. He pulled back before he could feel his fangs. A sound came from behind but Rei didn't have enough time to move out of the way and attack. They managed to get something on the hook at the back of the collar but Rei couldn't see what. He started thrashing again as they were leading him down the brighten hallways, letting Rei know that it was that boy that he saw before.

Kai was waiting impatiently for them to bring Rei to him. He didn't know when their breakout would occur but it was now nightfall so he knew it would be some time soon. They just opened the door, not even knocking or anything. Kai caught a glimpse of Boris but he didn't say anything as they tossed Rei into the room. He was back to the chains and he looked fiercer than when on the ship.

"Rei, are you all right?" Kai started to walk towards him until he got in a defensive stance. "Rei?" Rei was just staring at him, seeming ready to attack at any moment. "Rei, what have they done to you? It's me, Kai."

Rei blinked a few times before realizing that it was Kai. Rei looked at his hands, ashamed that he even thought of killing him. He realized that the chip had messed with his mind, making Byakko take over. He didn't remember what he did, but instantly knew that it wasn't good.

Kai watched as Rei looked horrified with some inner thought. As he lightly touches his bare shoulder, he recoiled away from him and started to scratch violently at his right side of the head. It didn't take it long before blood was coming from it.

"Rei, stop it!" Kai grabbed his hands. Rei was tugging and pulling, trying to get them freed. Kai lost his grip and Rei fell to the floor, hitting his head hard against it. Kai grabbed his shoulders, forcing him to at least stop hitting the floor but he was still trying to escape him. "Rei, I'm here. Tell me what they did to you. They're not going to get you here."

Rei froze, worrying Kai more than him thrashing. All of a sudden, Rei kissed Kai before collapsing onto him. Rei didn't look at all at peace. Tears were still streaming down his face and fear was still on his face.

Kai searched around the area that Rei was scratching at since he was worried that he would do it again. It was bleeding badly but Kai managed to find the cause. There was a small chip on the skin of his head. Rei somehow managed to damaged it and get some of it off, though he did hurt his own head in the process. Kai carefully removed it but some skin was still on it. That's when Kai realized how deep it really was. Kai took off his scarf and created a small pillow for Rei as Kai was tarring up the sheet to make bandages for his head.

Kai managed to find something that would take off the collar as he went through his bag. He wrapped up Rei's head before he started to attend to the collar. It took him a long while but he was able to take off the collar. That's when he noticed that Rei's neck was really raw. Kai looked at his hands, seeing that the wrist have been bleeding for a while now. The ankles were in the same condition. Kai wondered what Rei was fighting so hard against as he laid him on the bed. He tossed the coat that they gave him as they reached Russia, feeling that his whole body was cold.

Kai didn't know how long it was before there was a knock at his door. It was really soft, suggesting that it was Don. He got up and quickly went over to it. He opened the door slowly to make sure that it was him.

" It's me. " Don said as it was a little bit open.

" What took you? " Kai said after pulling him in and closing the door.

"I have to make sure that no one saw me. It's midnight and everyone is asleep. Is Rei okay?"

"What do you know about his condition?"

"All I heard was that he was recently uncontrollable but I don't know details. I have the key to take off the chains." He brought it out.

Kai took it and walked over to Rei. He took off the chains, seeing the full damage of his struggles.

"Man, he never gave up." Don said.

Kai looked over at him, seeing him place something in his bag. "What are you doing?"

"Give you guys some food. I'm not sure what you guys are going to do but I know that Rei will need it. Water is in here as well. I'll help you carry him."

"Carry the bag." Kai lifted him up and put on the jacket. Kai placed Rei on his back and they headed out.

Don led him through the passage ways that he didn't know about when he was here. It was good since there were no cameras through the ones that they took. When they reached a dead end, Don opened a door in the ceiling and climbed up. Kai gave him Rei first before jumping up as well. That's when he noticed that there was someone standing there with a green turtleneck, goggles, and a cross-strapped case.

"He will take you as far as he can. Now get going before guards start to come out." Don said.

Kai got Rei back on him and Don handed Kai's bag to the new person. Don went back down the secret doorway as he led Kai somewhere else.

"What's your name?"

"+My name is Tala.+"

"+You know Japanese+"

"Not really but with the translators that Yoma and Wu had, I can. I'm bringing you to an airport that my dad owns. It doesn't go very far but you'll get to Wu's within a few hours."

"How did you know that Rei and I needed help?"

"Wu managed to talk to Rei as they were passing over China. He told her to get Don since he promised to get him out of there. Once she was able to contact me, I came as soon as I was able to."

Kai was able to ask how Wu was able to do that but then Rei started to moan. "Rei?"

Rei opened his eyes, all he was able to know was what he heard, "+Kai? Where are we+"

Kai noticed how weak he sounded, "We're following one of Wu's friends."

Rei rested his head on Kai's shoulder, now realizing that they were moving. "I'm sorry."

"I'm the one that needs to say that."

"Okay, we're at port." Tala said.

Kai noticed that a plane was ready to take off. "Thanks." Kai was laying Rei in a seat.

"Don't worry about it. Here, some blankets for yourself and Rei. This plane will only stop once you reach Aksu."

"Is that where she is?"

"Yep. Don said that he would get you some food and water."

"He did."

"Okay. Until we meet again." Tala got off and closed the door. The plane started its take off as Kai sat down. Once in the air, Kai looked over at Rei. He seemed to be sleeping again so Kai decided to take a nap now.

"What?" Kenny stood as Mr. Dickenson told him that BIOVOLT had sent an invitation to some Beyblade match.

"Krypton might've been right about them. I have two days to respond." Something beeped on his computer and Mr. Dickenson answered it. "Oh my!"

"What is it?"

"It seems that they have declined their own offer, saying that they're planning for something bigger."

"Bigger?... Wait, if they decline then Kai and Rei might've escaped!"

"We can only hope. Don't tell the others until we're positive on it."

"Right."

"Rei?" Kai asked quietly. Rei didn't respond, making Kai worry a bit.

Rei opened his eyes.

"Are you okay?"

Rei didn't say anything. He just stared at the seat in front of him.

Kai went into his bag and got the water out. "If it doesn't hurt, drink this." Kai handed him the bottle.

Rei looked at it with no emotion on his face. As he reaches to grab it, Kai noticed that his nails are longer and sharp. He drank a small amount before looking out of the window. Kai grabbed the bread that was also in there and gave that to him as well. Rei was munching on it quietly as Kai noticed that his eyes weren't really rounded, they had that famous slit whenever he's battling. Kai didn't say anything since he wasn't sure if he should.

After a while, they landed. Rei got up, showing that he was able to walk. Kai figured that he just needed some rest to regain his strength. They walked around the lightly busy city. Rei was leading them since he should know where Wu lives.

":Over here:" Kai heard a girl's voice say.

They looked over to see a Chinese girl with red violet hair and green eyes standing there. Her hand was out a bit, as if trying to reach them.

Rei went over and hugged her, ":Wu.:" He collapsed upon her as well.

":It's okay Rei.:" She stroke his head a bit. ":You're safe.:"

Kai noticed that he fell asleep again so he walked over and helped her up.

"+You must be Kai.+" She said as they were walking to her house. Kai was carrying Rei on his back again.

"+I am. How do you know who I am+"

"Rei told me about his teammates. You're the first one that I've met. Have you heard about me?"

"I'm the only one that knows your name."

"Well, I'm glad to know that Rei has loyal friends now." She opened the door quietly and looked in, "Okay, everyone else is asleep." She went in and closed the door once Kai was through. She led him quietly through the hallways to a room that was obviously hers. She motioned for him to place Rei on the bed.

"Is there a reason you don't want anyone else to know that he's here?" Kai asked as she was pulling the covers over him.

"My mother and brother would be terribly worried about him. You guys can stay here as long as you like. Once some of his injuries are less noticeable, I'll let them know that you're here." She walked to her door. "Letting you know, they don't know Japanese."

"Okay."

She walked out, leaving them two alone. Kai pulled up a chair, wondering if Jade was okay. After an hour or so, Rei woke up.

"Feeling any better?"

Rei looked up to see Kai staring at him. "A little." He tried to get up but then his hands were shot with pain.

"You're hands are really bad. You better be careful for a while." Kai said as he helped him up. This was something that Rei wasn't used to from his leader.

Rei looked at his hands, noticing the rawness of his wrist. Then Rei remembered fighting but couldn't remember what it was. "I will."

"Not only your wrist but your ankles and neck too."

"Where are we?"

":At your sister's house.:" Wu said as she entered into the room. ":How are you feeling:"

"+Wu… Oh, now I remember.+"

"+You want to speak in Japanese+" She seemed surprised.

"It wouldn't matter either way. Kai has the hearing translator." Rei said with his usual smile, reassuring Kai that he's back.

"Do you have your translator?"

"Kai, did you bring it?" Rei looked at him.

"It's still in your blade."

"Then no." Kai smiled inside, really glad to know that the real Rei was back. "Was anything prepared?"

"You guys came back from Russia, of course not."

"Oh… Yea, that's right. I was kidnapped to force Kai to come to Russia."

"Do you not remember?" Kai asked.

"Not really."

"What was the last thing that you remembered?" Wu asked.

Rei closed his eyes to remember, "I remember Don talking to me about something in the beginning and talking to Kai about something, but that's it."

Kai wasn't sure if he should be glad that he doesn't know more than that.

"That's good enough for now." Wu said before Kai could. "There's a bath that I just now prepared. It'll heal your scars."

Rei got off the bed but almost fell over. Both Wu and Kai caught him. "I guess you were right about the ankles." He said like it was nothing.

"I'll take him to it." Wu said and they headed off.

Kai sat down on the chair again.

":Don't worry about remembering everything. It might be best if you didn't.:" Wu said as she led him down.

":I think I managed to keep Kai safe, so I'm okay.:"

"You have a good leader. He really does care about you."

"I wonder how everyone else is doing?"

"Who?"

"The other members on our team."

"I'm sure they're really worried about you two. Oh, Byakko has a special talent that I forgot to tell you."

"What?"

"He's able to control the earth."

"Really? That can come in handy."

"Do you want Kai to know about your past?" Wu sat him down on a small stool.

"Yea, I'm learning about his past. It's only right that he knows mine."

"Okay. Well, it's there. Be careful as you walk over."

"I will. Thanks Wu."

"No problem. I'll give Kai my translator that way he can speak to us in our native tongue."

"Okay." He smiled as she left.

"+He's in the bath now.+" She said as she entered her room. She took her hairclip out and took something from the back. ":Rei showed you what this is, right:" She showed him the voice translator box.

"+He did.+" He hoped that she understood Japanese.

":Since Rei doesn't have his, and it's easier to have one language within a home, you can borrow mine while you stay here. You can put it in your scarf and it will still work. Don't worry, my mom and brother would be able to tell that you're not a naïve speaker to our language.:"

Kai took it, "+Is it set for your language+"

":It is.:"

Kai placed it in his scarf, ":Can you speak Japanese without this:" Kai was only a little bit impress since he had witnessed this in Australia.

":I'm a little good with it. I could understand what you're saying.:"

"But can you respond back?"

"I'm still working on that."

A knock came at Wu's door, "Wu! It's time for breakfast." A little voice called before walking away.

"Should we let Rei know?" Kai asked as she moved over to the door.

"We can't rush it. His body has been damaged really badly. Do you know how?"

"All I can give you is the head."

"Don't tell me. I think it is best that I don't know." She placed her hand on her chest, reminding Kai about the story that he told on the boat.

"Rei told us a bit about it." He got up.

"Why?" She didn't seem surprised.

"We ran into three of the people that did that to you."

"Only one did this to me… The others were there to protect him… What did he do?"

"Rei? He was ready to kill him."

"Who stopped him?"

"I did."

"I'm glad you did. Even though Rei knows how to fight, he never had to kill someone with it. I don't think that he would enjoy it anyway, no matter who it is."

"I guess, I don't know his mind."

She smiled for some reason before walking out. "Let's get breakfast."

Kai followed her.

Rei just now realized how much he was really hurting all over. Very muscle ached, his hands and feet were numb, his neck burned, and his head are the parts that hurt the most. Rei knew that the water was something she conjured just for him, so he had to keep the right side of his head in the water. He didn't wonder why he didn't remember it, since he knew that it will come back some time. After a while, he decided to get out but wondered if he needed to wrap his head and possibly his hands and ankles.

"Mom, Wong, this is Kai. He's a friend of Rei." Wu introduced as they went to the dinner room.

Kai bowed a little, though noticing how odd it felt.

"Then where's Rei?" Wong asked.

"+Hey Kai, could I borrow one of your shirts+" Rei's voice called through the hall.

Kai went back into Wu's room and grabbed a shirt for him.

":I think you need to look on Rei's back, apply this there.:" Wu hand him a bottle with some liquid and a cloth.

":Okay.:" Kai took it. ":Where is he:"

":Over there.:" She pointed down the hallway. ":The last door of the hallway.:"

"+Thanks.+" He walked over there. He opened the door to see Rei only having the pant on and drying himself off. "+How do you feel+"

Rei then looked at him. "+A lot better. What's in the bottle+"

"Wu told me to apply it to your back."

"I wonder why. It wasn't in any additional pain."

"There wasn't?"

"Why? Did something happen there?"

Kai walked up and looked on his back, the whip marks were still there. Kai noticed some new ones on top of new ones. Kai wondered why, since he didn't do anything wrong. "You were being whipped." He hand him the shirt before applying the liquid to the cloth.

"Do you know why!" Rei held his scream. This liquid strung more than the water.

"I only know of one of the times. It appears that they have done it more than once." Kai noticed that the cuts were repairing themselves, though it was happening slowly. "This seems to be working."

"That's good." He couldn't believe that it would hurt him this much.

As he finished the bottle, Rei's whole back was better. That's when Kai was able to see his tattoo. There were black and white unicorns on the right side and Driger and Dranzer on the left. It seemed to be glowing as it was being revealed. "Why did you get this on your back? I didn't think that you were like that."

"Mariah convinced me to get it."

"Who does the white unicorn belong to?" He knew that the black one was Krypton's.

"Jade, I remembered what Krypton's looked like and figured that hers is the same."

"Well, your back is healed. I guess you can put on the shirt."

Rei did, "So what's for breakfast?"

"I didn't have that much time to look." They walked out.

":Hi.:" Rei said as they walked into the dinning room.

":REI! I'm glad that you're here:" Wong said, hugging him.

"Glad to see you too." He patted his head.

"Wong, he needs to eat." Wu said with a smile.

Wong brought him over to the table and was talking nonstop to Rei. Rei was giving him all the attention, as well as everyone else. Kai understood how Rei could handle Tyson and Max without getting annoyed with them. Also, Kai noted that Rei was barely eating anything.

"Rei, you haven't told us why you and your friend have visited us?" Wu's mother asked.

"Oh, sorry. We were just traveling since we were bored. My other friends weren't interested in coming." Kai looked like this was the truth.

"Hey! Wu told me that you're famous in the Beyblade world! I want you to train me!" Wong said.

"Next time, we've been gone long enough." Rei smiled.

"Please Rei? I'm really serious about this."

"I promise, my next visit will be longer and I'll train you then."

"Okay."

"Well, thank you very much for the breakfast. We better get going." Rei looked at Kai.

Kai nodded and they got up.

"I need to call someone before we go." Wu said as she got up.

Rei followed her so Kai did the same. She smiled as she picked up the phone that Rei knew that they couldn't have.

"When did you get that?" Rei asked.

"Eric gave it to me so I can call everyone. That's how Tala got to you so quickly."

"Tala?"

"That was friend that got us here." Kai answered.

"Oh… Who are you calling?"

"+Hello, is Yoma there? Is Wu…………… Hi Yoma, is anyone there?... Okay, I wait+………………… :Thanks, I gave my translator to a friend of Rei. Is it okay for them to come visit you?... Good, Rei would probably like that. Talk to you later.:" She hanged up the phone. ":You guys are going to Yoma's house. When you get off the boat , you'll be taking horses to his house. He told me that you should be familiar with the terrain there.:"

":Yea, I am. But why:"

"As you heard, I don't know."

"Well, we aren't getting any closer by standing here. How are we going over there?"

She moved her hands in front of her and placed them parallel to each other. Something was happening between them and a money bag appeared. "This will get you there."

"I thought you said it's impossible for one to create money?" Rei took the bag.

"Oliver and Homer found tons of books that they had and gave it to me. Eric's technicians develop translating glasses so I could study them. I managed to get a lot of information from them so that's how I learn to do that."

"But how can you physically read it? You're blind." That shocked Kai, since it seemed that she could see. Then he knew whom Rei was talking about when he said that he knew someone that was also blind.

"How I read any book, I place my hands on the book and allow the book to tell what is in it. As long as I have the glasses on my face, I can understand the words."

"I suggested that you ask this Eric to give you another one for Rei." Kai said.

"Why?"

"He can't read Katakana or Hiragana."

"I thought you could, since you spent a lot of time over there?" She looked at him.

"I learn the language, not how to write it."

"Then the next time I see you, I'll give you the glasses."

"Thanks. Well, we better catch our flight."

"Right, I'll see you again and hopefully you too, Kai."

"I'm sure that you will."

"And Rei, don't be shy about bring your other friends here. Mom doesn't mind cooking for large groups."

"I know. Well, we better get going. Take care."

"You do the same."

They walked out of there. Wong and their mom was waving bye to them. Kai stopped and went back to the house. He took out the translator from his scarf and handed it back to Wu before going back to Rei.

"+I forgot that you had that.+" Rei said.

"+Same here. I thought you said that people weren't allowed to leave your village+"

"They're not. Well, I wasn't since I carried Driger. Who has Driger anyway?"

"I handed Jade both of our blades."

"Why?"

"Just like you, I didn't want them to use my Bit Beast."

"Is that what you thought when you saw my Beyblade?" Rei's words were confusing Kai.

"That wasn't your intent?"

"Not at all. I didn't want them to find the translator and use it for their own gain. I'm glad that they didn't take this." Rei lifted the necklace that Kai forgot was around his neck.

"I'm surprised that they didn't." Kai was surprised that he didn't see it either.

It didn't take them long to reach the airport and get through everything. Kai was the only one that had any luggage so they didn't have to worry about that. Rei got them a flight to Shanghai, which would take only a few hours.

"Is Wu really your sister?" Kai asked, remembering that she said that she was.

"Not really, but we call each other siblings anyway. We both have tiger spirits guarding us."

"But isn't your clan called the White Tigers?"

"We're not the only ones with a tiger spirit."

"And what do you mean by 'spirit'?"

"We all have some kind of creature watching over us, whether it is an animal, ghost, deities, or mystical creatures."

"And how would you know which one you have?"

"Wu can see those kinds of things. It's her special talent."

"Because she's blind?"

"Not really. I don't think that it really has anything to do with her being blind. Though being blind might help her see it clearer."

"She is like Dark?"

"Basil? Yea, she is."

The hostess told everyone that they were able to take off. Kai decided to sleep since he didn't get a good nap as they were heading over to Wu's house.

Kai started to hear the music to the Teenage Wolves but the voices were much older sounding. It was really hard to hear it, since there were many voices cheering and yelling.

"You kids are so lucky," Said a voice that Kai hadn't hard before, "Especially you, Little Kai, since your father is going to be singing you to sleep. He doesn't sing that often anymore."

Kai was now confuse, was the voice telling him that his father was in this band? He tried to hear the voice of before but something was pulling him somewhere else. He felt like he was back in the place where all this memory started and that same voice was there, "You really like to hear your father sing, don't you Little Kai? Okay then, I'll sing you something so you can fall asleep. Next time, I'll play my harmonica for you. Let's see? What can I sing for you?" He started singing his favorite song off of the CD that he had but a lot slower and quieter. Kai began to realize that it was working for some reason.

When he was fully asleep in his dream, he immediately woke up from it.

"You're a heavy sleeper." Kai looked up to see that Rei was standing, "We landed."

Kai grabbed his bag and they walked out. "How long are we staying at Yoma's house?" He asked once they were off the airplane.

"I don't know. He or his father might have something for me to do while I'm there."

"I thought this was for a visit?"

"It is and it isn't. They're teaching me the art of Ninjutsu."

"Why do you want to learn it?"

"It's interesting." Kai could tell that it was more of an offered excuse than the real reason.

Rei led them to the docks were they got a boat that would take them straight to Kuramoto. Since it was a modern boat, the captain said that it won't be a long trip. They managed to leave right away.

"I'm sorry that I'm delaying our return." Rei said. Kai was on the deck, looked at the water.

"Don't worry about it. You still need to recover."

"Do you know why my head was also injured?"

"They placed a chip there and you were trying to get it out."

"Did I succeed?"

"Almost. I stopped you before it came off but I got it out."

"Thanks. Shouldn't we have been far away from each other?"

"Is this your way of recovering?"

"I just want to know as much as you know. That way I can put pieces in their proper place when they come to me."

"We were for the most part. I only saw you during the training sessions."

"Then how did you get the chip out of me without them knowing?"

"Dmitriy told me the morning before we got out that we were leaving that night. After the second session, I requested that you be brought to my room."

"Why did they follow it?"

"I don't know. Dmitriy seemed to understand what everything meant more than I."

"Why didn't you try to get out of there before?"

"You told me that Dmitriy was going to get us out of there and he told me himself as well. Besides that, I didn't know where you were."

"Did you ever find me?"

"I did."

"Where was I?"

"In the dungeons that they have. I'm surprised that you weren't brainwash."

"I have a strong will. That's probably the reason that chip didn't work so well."

"I guess that's good to know."

"Why were you listening to them?"

"Do you really think that I would allow them to hurt my friend?"

"Good point……… Wait… Repeat that question."

"Do you really think that I would allow them to hurt one of my teammates?" Kai was confused on why he wanted him to repeat it.

"That's not what you said earlier."

"Yes it is."

"You said friend before."

"I didn't."

"Do you consider me a friend?" Kai wasn't sure how to answer that so there was a long silence. "It's not a weakness to have friends."

"I just… never had any…"

"Well, Tyson, Max and Kenny all consider you their friend and I do too."

"Then why were you surprised that I said it?"

"Because you normally would say the second way and you didn't add the 'one of my' you just said friend."

Kai felt like he was cornered. "What does a friend have to do for each other?"

"They help each other out and just be there for one another." Rei smiled.

"You're the only one so far that I've done that with so I guess you are."

"Don't worry; I won't go public with it."

Within a few hours, they reached Japan. They managed to find the horses and started riding.

"How far are we from his house?" Kai asked. The sun was setting.

"We're not too far." Then a sound was made in this silence. They stopped the horses, wondering what it was. Something came from the trees above them, aiming at Kai.

Rei tossed something there as he knocked Kai off the horse. Someone came out of the trees but Kai couldn't see his face. He shot three ninja stars at them but Rei blocked them with a staff. Rei launched at him and they started fighting. Kai noticed that the boy was about Rei's height and only had his lower face covered. He wished that he had Dranzer.

The other kid was using a sword and Rei the staff. They were fighting fiercely but neither was gaining ground. Kai noticed that the horses only moved when they were getting close to them. He shot a ninja knife at Kai but Rei managed to move in front of Kai and blocked it. He also extended the staff to make it reach his neck.

This made him laugh, "Great job Rei." He pulled down the cloth that was around his face. Kai was shocked to see that this kid looked a lot like him.

Rei pulled back the staff, "Why were you aiming at Kai?"

"Wanted to see your reflexes."

"Kai, this is Yoma."

"Nice to meet you." Yoma bowed.

"Was this some kind of training?" Kai asked.

"Yea. I know that Rei doesn't have that much opportunity to practice this art. Well, we better get going."

They got back on the horses with Yoma riding with Rei.

"Didn't you bring one for yourself?" Rei asked as they were moving.

"I wasn't sure when you guys were coming."

"When did you think we were coming?"

"I was thinking yesterday."

"Didn't you bring something to eat?" Kai asked, noticing that he didn't go anywhere to get his things.

"I was going to eat off the land. That was part of my training."

"No wonder you were glad that we came. Do I need to do anything when we get there?"

"Yea but you can do it tomorrow."

"Are you going to tell me what it is?"

"Nah, you can see tomorrow. Kai, do you know anything about video games?

"Not really."

"Oh… Then I don't have anyone else to test my skills against."

"We can try. I think Kai and I are fast learners."

"Alright. :Rei, I understand why you were creped out when you saw me.:" Yoma said really quietly so that Kai didn't hear it.

":Told ya.:"

":Does he know his parents:"

":Kai, you still don't remember your parents, right:"

"+Nope and I can hear you.+"

"+Sorry.+" Yoma said.

"Are you using the translator?"

"Yea, like Wu, I was able to understand it really fast but not speak it. We're not using the hearing translator."

"How many more friends do I have to meet?" Rei asked.

"Two more, Eric and Oliver."

"Okay. Are the traps off?"

"Nope, Kai has to go through the small pathway."

"Okay."

They reached his house. Yoma showed Kai the path and he walked through it without much trouble. When he reached the porch, Rei and Yoma went through the front yard. They were moving everywhere, dodging whatever came at them.

"Rei, you might not want to do that for a while." Kai said when they landed on the porch.

"Why?"

"Are you forgetting your wrist and ankle already?"

"Oh yea, I did." He said with a smile.

"Rei!" A lady came out and hugged him. "I'm so glad that you're back. How was your tournament?"

"It was great. Oh, this is Kai."

She looked at him and smiled, "Nice to meet you Kai. Please, come inside." She led everyone to the dinning room. "I'll bring something out right away." She went into the kitchen.

"Where's your father?" Rei asked.

"I don't know. I would've thought that he would come out to greet you as well."

"I didn't think that he liked me that much. Not after the last time I came here."

"He respects you, I think."

"Yoma's father is out for tonight." Yoma's mother said as she brought out a big plate of food. "I beat that you guys are hungry so I'm bringing out dinner." She went back into the kitchen and started getting more food.

"This looks great." Rei said once she was done.

"Thank you." They started to eat.

Kai could clearly see that Rei was comfortable around them, though again he wasn't eating that much. This was the first time that Kai realized that Rei was mostly business around them since he never smiled or laugh like this around the others. It was the same feeling that he got at Wu's house so he knew that Rei was still distant from the others, even if he calls them friends.

"Rei! What happened to your wrist?" Yoma's mother grabbed his arm, showing that the marks were still there.

"I'm not sure how it happened but it occurred while we were in Russia." Rei said.

"I'll get something for it." She got up and went somewhere.

"Wu didn't tell me about this. I thought that you two were just visiting her and wanted to come here." Yoma said.

"I guess she didn't want you to know. I was kidnapped to force Kai to come to Russia. I don't really remember anything during the whole thing so I don't know how I got these."

"I think the only thing that can make those would be handcuffs. Kai, do you know?"

"He was chained but I'm not sure how he got those myself."

"I'll let my husband know not to train you." She said when she came in. She was putting some lotion on it before wrapping it.

"I guess I shouldn't take a bath for a while." Rei said.

"Right."

"Yoma, you wanted to play some video game?"

"Yea, mom, can he move his wrist?"

"He can."

"Okay, let's go." They got up and were about to follow Yoma when his mother stopped them.

"Rei, do you normally wear socks?"

"I don't."

"Just wondering."

They continued but Kai understood what she meant. He remembered that Rei didn't have any shoes on while they were there and knew that he didn't ask for any at Wu's house.

"What was that about?" Yoma asked as he closed the door to his room.

"She'll probably lend me some of your shoes." Rei said.

"Oh. That's fine. Okay, let's play the game." He brought up the game and they started to play it.

After a few hours, Kai and Rei went to bed. They were now at the same level as Yoma so they thought that they should end it there.

"Do you not like to speak out?" Kai asked as they were in their room.

"What do you mean?"

"You could've told Wu that you didn't have shoes, or me."

"I guess it's something that I picked up from her. She normally doesn't ask for help when she needs it."

"And how did you pick it up?"

"I guess by traveling around everywhere." Kai could tell that Rei didn't want to say so he left it at that.

"You probably should ask some time."

Rei smiled, "Night." They went to bed.

Kai was back in someone's arms. He felt tears and sadness instead of warmth. This time, he was able to stand but someone was hugging him tightly. He didn't understand why this person was crying. He called this man father, but again Kai couldn't hear the name before otosan.

"Kai, promise me one thing, above all else."

"What is it, otosan?"

"Never forget about me."

"Why would I forget about you?"

"You're going to a new place for the rest of your life, maybe. I'm not sure how it will be, but I don't want you to forget about me."

"I promise, otosan. I won't forget." He hugged Kai tighter and Kai woke up. Kai held his face, realizing that that was the last time that he saw him before he went to the abbey. Did his father know that he was going there? Kai promised that he wouldn't forget but he has.

"Is something wrong Kai?"

Kai looked over to see that Rei was getting up as well. "It's nothing."

"I can tell that something is up."

"Why are you up?"

"Because I heard you getting up."

"Don't worry about it."

"Well, whenever you want to tell me, I'll listen." He got up, "It's early so hopefully they're not up."

"Why do you not want them up?"

"I was planning on making them breakfast. So let's go before they do." He opened the room and they walked out. Rei was making breakfast since they weren't up and Kai was the lookout for him.

"Rei, there's a man walking this way."

"From here?"

"The opposite side from where we were."

"That's Yoma's father."

"If you're apart of this family then why don't you call him father as well?"

"I haven't grown to trust him completely yet."

He looked in and seemed really shocked to see Kai standing there. He moved back so he could walk through if he wanted to but he just watched him.

"My name is Kai. I'm one of Rei's teammates." Kai said, hating that he's staring at him.

"Tell me, who are your parents?"

"They died a long time ago." Kai lied, since he felt like his father from the dreams is still alive.

"What's you're last name?"

"Rei! You shouldn't have cooked." Yoma's mother came into the room, interrupting his father.

"But I wanted to." Rei said with a smile. "Everything's done." Rei placed the last of it on the table. "Kai, could you get Yoma?"

Kai nodded and walked passed the father, glad to have gone out of there.

Kai knocked on his door and he opened it with sleep still in his eyes. Kai wondered if he ever looked like that.

"What is it?"

"Rei made breakfast."

"Again? I thought mom didn't want him to."

"He beat her to it."

"Okay, I'll be there. You two must wake up pretty early on a regular basis." He closed the door and Kai waited. After a while, he came back out and they headed over to the dinning room.

"Why would your father be shock to see me?"

"He's there?"

"Should he not be?"

"I'll answer that later but to answer your question, it might be because we look a lot alike."

"Okay." Kai hoped that that was the reason.

They reached the dinning room and it was dead quiet. Kai never seen Rei so calm - deadly calm before. They sat down without making too much noise and Yoma's mother and himself were talking the most. Kai noticed that they were looking at each other with hate for each other. After breakfast, Rei took a bath since he couldn't while he was at Wu's. That left Kai and Yoma to wait for him.

"What was that about?" Kai asked.

"What?"

"At breakfast."

"Oh, that… Well, father's not too happy with the fact that Rei is apart of this family and Rei's not happy with how he treated mother and me for the longest time."

"Why doesn't he want Rei in your family?"

"He believes strongly that the main line of our clan has to be pure Japanese."

"Your mother doesn't seem to be full blooded though."

"Don't tell father that."

"What about Wu?"

"He was never really happy about her… probably another reason that Rei was acting the way he did."

"But both of you were adopted into the family, so what to do you mean by that?"

"Rei didn't tell you?"

"I wouldn't be asking if he did."

"Oh, don't worry about it. It's nothing."

"What do you mean 'nothing', brother-in-law?" They turned to see Rei smiling at them. He was wearing clothes that belong to Yoma since Rei didn't want to borrow Kai's clothes again.

"Don't say that out loud." Yoma started to blush.

"Yea, Wu is in love with Yoma and him with her." Rei explained for Kai.

Yoma coughed, though that didn't help with the blushing, "Rei, you have a bit of training to do. Follow me." He walked ahead of them, leading them to his room. "Okay, I have a DVD of items you'll need from this ninja show called Naruto. It has all the movements that they do in the show so you learn as much as you can. Do you have a DVD player at your apartment?"

"I don't stay there too long to really need a TV."

"Oh… Kai, what about you?"

"Of course I do." Though he couldn't remember where.

"You can have this if you need to study it some more. I'll send you other ninja DVDs once I get your address from Wu."

"Should I start now?"

"Yea, Kai and I have something to do anyway."

Rei looked at Kai and knew that Yoma wanted to talk to him alone. "Okay, wait by the pond in your yard once you're done."

"Okay. See ya when you're out." Rei went inside and Yoma started to walk away.

"What's this 'something'?"

"Fishing. Mother wanted to cook you guys something for the road and we need fresh fish for it."

"So why am I coming along?" Kai didn't really care for an answer, since he already figured that he didn't want him to watch the DVD with Rei.

"I need help with the boat. Besides, I want to know Rei a lot better."

"Didn't you get to know him the last time he was there?"

"Not really. I didn't have that much time to talk to him."

"When are we leaving?"

"Now." He walked out of the house after putting on his shoes. Kai put on his too and went after him. Yoma led Kai to a stream that was calm. A small boat was waiting on the edge of it. As they were climbing in, Kai noticed that Yoma had a bucket but no fishing line.

"How are you going to fish with out a line?"

"I'm a ninja. I fish a different way." He pushed off the shoreline and handed Kai the orb.

"Before you start asking questions, I want to know the reason that Rei came here and to China." Kai wanted to know if Rei was lying to them or not.

"He came here upon request of Wu. As for China, he went there for some other purpose."

"Why is he being trained as a ninja?"

"Wu told me that he was a warrior so I thought that it would be good for him to know something new. He learns rather quickly."

Kai understood that, he not only saw it at the World Tournament but in Russia as well. "So Rei didn't tell you why he went to China?"

"Nope." Kai could tell that he was hiding something but left it at that.

"Fine."

"Does Rei not ask for help?"

Kai looked at him, "Meaning?"

"Last night, he didn't mention that he was walking bare feet everywhere. That just reminded me of what he told me about Wu." He seemed really concern about it.

"He told me that he learned that while he was traveling but now I think that he learned it from her."

"Do you know if his parents are still alive? Mother's been wondering that."

"We have never seen them nor heard anything about them. Until he mentioned them at some point while I wasn't there."

"How does Rei act toward your other friends?"

"A lot different than how he acts around you and Wu."

"How so?"

"Around Wu, he smiles more openly; around you, he shows his emotions more. He would never look at someone like he did your father if he was around the others."

"How did he act around the others? I mean Bastetka, Homer and Vayu?"

"He seemed to talk to Bastetka more than the other two. I'm sure he was a bit freer around them than the others as well."

"We're not trying to steal him away or anything."

"I know. You don't have to convince me, it's the others that you have to work with."

"What about Jade?"

"You know her name?"

"Bastetka told me some of the things that went on there. That's why I'm asking."

"I really don't know… There seems to be two sides to her. One when she's blading and another when she's not."

"Hopefully she can't keep all her secrets forever."

"So far, Rei seems to know more about her than I do."

"Maybe he was there when she needed to tell it the most. That or he was able to see it and had her tell him without her knowing it. Rei appears to be really good at that."

"What happened the last time that Rei came here?"

"He allowed me to see that my father shouldn't and couldn't control my life anymore. Once I unleash that to him, my father hated him. Though it could also be whatever was said while they were talking alone."

"So when Rei was here last, he wanted to make sure that Wu would be okay living here?"

"That's right." He shot something into the waters. He pulled it out fast and revealed that he harpooned a small fish, killing it immediately. He took it off the hook and placed it in the bucket.

"Why did you want to know if I knew who my parents were?" Kai was impressed but didn't show it.

"Rei told me that we looked alike. We have records of all the babies born in our clan and what they're doing. Since it's kinda scary how similar we actually are, he thought that you might be apart of this clan." He kept on harpooning fish left and right.

"It seems that your father was thinking the same thing."

"What do you think? Do you think it's possible?"

"I really don't know. All I've known is my Grandfather and he doesn't seem to have any pictures of my parents."

"That seems a little odd."

"My Grandfather doesn't like to show signs of love."

"That sounds a lot like my father. Well, we're done. I'll get us back." He took the orb and pushed in the opposite direction. The bucket wasn't full but Kai was amazed that all of them were killing with one blow.

"How much of a warrior is Rei?" Kai remembered that he walked in on Rei fighting Yuri and the others. He slightly remembered that Rei wasn't losing so he wondered if he didn't call out, would they have ever gone to Russia.

"He's good, but I'm not sure how good. He knows how to use weapons and his bare hands. I'm sure that he's creative as well. Of course, once he masters all the techniques in the DVD, he might as well become unstoppable."

"Why does he want to be the best?" He could almost laugh, since he wanted to be the best at Beyblades.

"To protect everyone he cares about… That might mean that he lost someone dear and he felt like he could do nothing about it."

"Are you saying that he lost his parents?"

"He might've. That or someone told him that he was going to be the best."

"Seems that Rei is more complex that I gave him credit for."

"I'm sure that he'll tell you when he's ready. After all, only I know that Wu's blind out of our group of friends and she wasn't even the one that told me."

"You did say that she doesn't like to admit weakness."

He pulled up to the shore, "I remember a time when I thought that." He picked up the bucket and they got out.

"What changed?"

"Wu and Rei, they changed my view about my life."

"How did Wu do that?"

"She allowed me to know that emotions weren't a weakness, but a great strength. Didn't Jade teach you that?"

"She's teaching me how to love. I lost a lot of emotions in my youth."

"Really? I guess my mother really did make a difference. Rei said that we were also similar in how we act. He figured that my mother was what kept me from becoming fully like you."

Was that true? Was all that Kai needed was to have someone love him like a parent? Is that why the suppressed memories of his father are coming up? "I guess I need to find my parents then. I don't want to be like this forever."

"I'm sure that Jade will be a major help." They reached the house.

Kai decided to help them out, finding that he was pretty good at cooking food. He wondered how since he never had to cook on his own.

"Thank you for your help Kai." Yoma's mother said once they were done. "Also, avoid Yoma's father as much as you can."

"Why?" Kai was wondering if it had to do with his parentage.

"He's not acting like himself. He believes strongly that you're apart of this clan but he's not sure how."

"Why does he believe that, mother?" Yoma asked.

"He said that the main bloodline's features are really strong in male children. It's seen in the females as well but not as obvious."

"It wouldn't do him any good. I don't even know my own heritage."

"I thought you said they died."

"Do you really think I trust people on the spot?"

"That's a good point. Well, whenever Rei's done you guys can leave. Here are the tickets." She handed them to Kai.

"You don't want to say goodbye like last time?" Yoma asked.

"It seemed too much like he was leaving forever. I don't want to think that again."

"All right. We better wait by the pond." Yoma said and they walked out.

Yoma led him to the pond that had a small bridge across it. He jumped on the top and laid there.

"Come here to relax?" Kai sat down at the bottom, looking at the pond itself to see the different sizes of fish there.

"Yea… If my dad does find a possibility, do you want me to tell you?"

"Yea." Kai knew that he was having memories when he was with his father but so far there was nothing about a mother. If he could get one, he could find Kaiba-san to ask him if it's right or not. He remembered about the dark energy that was still inside him. It seemed to be eating away at him ever since that day, how far has it gotten already? "I can use any clue I can get."

"Okay." Then it was silent.

Once Rei was done, he managed to remember and know how to use each one that was possible for him to know; he walked out of Yoma's room. He chose ones that would work best for him to master, but he knows them all. He walked towards the pond, wondering if they were there. He saw Yoma lying across around the bridge and Kai was looking at the pond. He decided to see how alert Yoma was so he tossed a knife at him.

Yoma managed to catch it and looked over, "Are you done?"

"I wouldn't be out here if I wasn't." Yoma throw it back and Rei caught it.

"Do you need the DVD?"

"Nah, I got everything down in my head."

"What time is it?" Kai asked.

"It's almost one, why?" Yoma said.

"How long does the train take?"

"Less than an hour… That's right; we normally met around this time. Yea, we really need to get going back."

"I understand. You better get going before you're late. Oh, the extra pair of shoes is yours, Rei. Don't worry about returning them."

"Thanks. See ya. Oh, where's your mother?"

"She was sad since she made it seem like you were never coming back so she doesn't want to say goodbye."

"Oh. Well, tell her that I'll come back some time."

"Right. And next time, don't hold so much back."

"Right, bye." Rei and Kai entered the house, got their shoes (and Kai is bag), and left.

They made it to the train with time to spare before it left.

"So what did you guys do?" Rei asked once they had a seat.

"Made these." Kai opened the container to reveal soup and sushi.

"Wow… When do we eat them?"

"Now would be my guess."

Rei picked up the soup first and started eating it. Kai did the same, liking the smell of this one the best anyway. Once they were done with both items the train left the station.

"I really woke up from the dream that I was having." Kai said after a while. He wanted to tell Rei, he wanted to tell someone.

"What was the dream?"

"It was about the last time that I saw him."

"You don't seem too sad about it, unless this is you going cold again."

"He didn't die, he was sad because I was leaving him and he might never see me again."

"Do you think he knew that you were going to the abbey?"

"I don't think that he would've allowed me to go if he did."

"It seems that he didn't want you to leave either way. Maybe it wasn't his choice to let you go."

"It probably wasn't… I think he might've been a singer or something."

"Why think that?"

"He was singing songs from the band that I like listening to."

"The one that Jade sparked your interested."

"Yea… You're back to normal."

"Huh? When was I not normal?"

"You just said it in a dramatic way."

"Oh… Well, she did… Anything else?"

"I called him by his name then otosan."

"You mean 'name'-otosan?"

"Yea."

"I guess that means you didn't hear the name."

"Right."

"Well, that's good. At least you're a bit closer to the truth now."

"Yea… I still need to find him. I've been searching for him every since I left the abbey."

"That's why you left the abbey? You wanted to return to him?"

"It was after the event with Dark Dranzer. It awakened something inside of me and no one was willing to help. I wanted my father to comfort me, so I left."

"Why didn't you find him?"

"The guy that helped me get back to Japan brought me to my Grandfather's house instead."

"Oh… Then at some point, we have to go looking for him. Let's ask Jade and Krypton if we have any other tournaments that we need to prepare for. That way, we know if we have time to look or not."

"Right. You don't seem worry about their emotions."

"When I was running over to the meeting spot, I was hoping that you guys wouldn't make a comment because I was running late."

Kai had to laugh, knowing how worried everyone else was and he was worried about a comment. Rei smiled to see that his leader, and now friend, was laughing in a way that he hadn't before.

"By the way, how do you feel?" Kai asked once he stopped laughing. It wasn't loud enough to bring upon the stares of others.

"A lot better but I think I better not battle for a while. My mind isn't really stable."

"Do you remember anything?"

"That's why my mind is unstable. Since my body remembers everything that happened to me, it trembles very now and then. It's making my mind remember the pain that was there and that's making me think that there's still pain…… I think I even have fear in my heart." Rei seemed to want to hold that information back from Kai, and he couldn't blame Rei. He wouldn't like to attempt fear to another, but somehow found it comforting to know that Rei did told him. "The reason why I told you that is because we're friends and it's healthy for you to know what true loyalty is."

"Are you saying that everyone else isn't your friend?"

"I wouldn't tell them this… You can let Jade know though. It's also healthy to have few secrets in a relationship."

Kai nodded and remembered how Jade looked when he left them. She was confused and scared; would she still be mad at him or relieved that he has returned to her arms?

It was Max's turn to seat at the park for an hour today. No one has been in a joyous mood for a long time and Max was hoping that they would return soon. Kenny had told them that BIOVOLT had sent something to Mr. Dickenson about an invitation to some match but soon decline. They believed that it had to do with Kai and Rei, so they could only hope that they had escape and are returning. No one was able to contact Jade or Krypton, though they thought it best not to involve Mr. Dickenson since they sensed that Mr. Dickenson doesn't like them too much.

Max checked his watch to see that it was two o' nine so he knew that there was no point in waiting any longer. He got off the swing set and started to walk up the hill. He was heading towards Tyson's house to report that they hadn't come since that's where they agreed to meet very day.

"Max, where are you going?"

Max froze as he turned around. There they were, unharmed and safe. " Kai, Rei, you're back! " He ran towards them with so much joy and happiness.

But as he neared Rei to give him a huge hug, Kai stopped him by extending his arm out. Max looked at him to see that he was looking at Rei. Rei held extreme horror in his eyes, something that Max wasn't used to seeing in his golden/amber eyes. "+Rei+"

"We're not in Russia anymore, Rei." Kai said softly and that seemed to bring him out of it.

"Are you okay Rei?" Max asked as Kai pulled his arm away.

"Sorry about that," Rei put up a fake smile, "Yea, I'm fine. So, where were you running off to?"

"I was going to Tyson's house."

"Oh, I guess we don't have anything else to do unless you know where Jade is."

"She told us that she has her own way of knowing things."

"Let's go to his house then, I'm sure that she'll be there soon." Kai said.

"Okay, follow me then."

The whole walk was silent since Max wasn't sure what to say. Rei wasn't himself so that meant that he wasn't okay. He was hiding it from them, much like he hid his pain of the World Tournament. It was also now that Max noticed that Rei was wearing something completely different from what he normally wears. The tank top was a black with a glowing red, fierce dragon roaring at the on-lookers; saggy, dark ocean pants; no headband; and boots. The only thing that was him was his hair, face, body, and the hair piece that kept his hair together. His eyes had lost a lot of its familiarity that Max dare say that he was on the brink of losing them too. Max studied Kai as much as he could without turning his head. He could see that he hadn't lost anything about him. He wondered if Kai even cared about what Rei went through.

"Tyson, they're back!" Max said as they entered the house.

Tyson and Kenny got up and went straight over to them.

"Are you guys awright?" Tyson asked.

"Tell us what happened." Kenny said.

"Let us sit down and we'll tell as much as we can." Rei said with his normal smile again.

"Hey, why do you have a new outfit on?" Tyson asked, making Kenny noticed the difference as well.

"It's nicer outside." Kai said, and walked there so no one could make an argument against it.

Everyone followed and sat down on the walkway. Rei realized that Tyson's house was a lot like Yoma's, minus that Yoma's had this gloomy look lingering around it. Tyson's house felt right where it should be.

"Okay, tell us what happened." Kenny said.

Rei explained as much as he could. That was from when he was kidnapped until he got off the plane. Even though Kai knew that he didn't know as much as he was letting the others to know, it was still a believable story. Kai filled in as much as he knew. That was from when he saw Rei getting beat, he didn't want to say whip since they might want to find the scars that aren't there, to when they escape. He didn't tell them about Rei smashing his head, nor scratching it, to get a chip out or about the chains and collar that were on Rei. Rei continued the tale by saying that they went to his kinsman's house and to Kuramoto to visit the other person there.

"Why don't you remember anything that happened to you?" Tyson asked Rei once they were done.

"Just like Kai blocked the memories of Dark Dranzer, so I have blocked that time." Kai wanted to throw a rock at him, since he was being a poet again. Rei had a triumphant look that was masked so only Kai could see that he did it on purpose.

"I hope that this isn't a no-coach party." They turned to the wall to see Krypton and Jade on the roof of it. They jumped down and Kai got up. He ran to Jade and her to him. Kai just now realized how much he really had missed her.

"I was so scared. I thought that you weren't coming back." Jade said in a voice that told you she wanted to cry.

"I will never leave you."

"Rei, you're looking well." Krypton said as he left them two alone.

"Whatever they used to torture me with, I've survived them all." Rei said with a victory grin.

"Don't you know what they used?"

"I blocked it from my memory."

"Oh. Anything else that I should know about?"

"Before I answer that, do we have any other tournaments that we're entered in?"

"Not that I've known of but I doubt that Mr. D would after this."

"Then could we not practice? I want to recover completely from this." Everyone was shocked, minus Kai. Even Jade was now paying attention to what they were saying.

No one knew what to say. Rei, the one that practiced while he was still injured from his battle with Brain, wanted not to practice! They knew that he should be granted it, but it was still a shock.

"What he means to say is that he doesn't want us to train for a while." Kai clarified for Rei, knowing what he wanted since he hinted it on the train. Rei wasn't sure if he could concentrate long enough to send an attack or defend.

"We're not in any hurry so it's okay." Jade said, making the final decision.

"Yea, if Mr. Dickenson doesn't allow you time off after this then he's more of a slave driver then we are." Krypton said with a humorous tone.

"Thanks a lot."

"Okay, to get everyone relaxed, we'll go to that nightclub tonight." Jade said with a devilish smile on her face. Kai knew that it was meant for him but didn't show it.

"Okay, do we just meet you guys there?" Max asked.

"Yea, it would be easier. Be there at seven and be ready to dance."

"Did anyone grab my bag from the hotel?" Rei asked before Krypton and Jade left.

"It's here." Tyson said and went to go get it.

"That's right." Jade reached into her pockets to bring out Dranzer and Driger. "Dranzer won't cause anymore bleeding." She said with a smile as she handed them to Kai, since he was closer.

"That's good to know." Kai quickly looked into Driger to see that no one saw the translator since it wasn't disturbed. Kai looked at Rei who now had a puzzle look since Rei could see that Kai was smiling on the inside, " Rei, check later to see if it was used or not. " Kai quickly tossed Driger over to him. Everyone else held their eyes open since it was spinning in the air, increasing its speed.

":Right, I'll do that.:" Rei caught Driger without moving or effort. He now understood why Kai was smiling, since he was planning on that move once he checked himself.

"+That was sweet.+" Tyson said as he was coming back.

"I just caught it." Rei understood why he said that but he had to make it seem like it was nothing.

"Sure man. Here." Tyson handed him his stuff.

"Thanks."

"Okay, then at the club at seven. Don't be late boyz." Jade said as they jumped onto the roof of the wall and then over.

"Well, I'll see you guys there. I got to let my boss know that I'm back." Rei got up and was about to put the bag over his shoulder when he realized that his upper arm and wrist wouldn't allow him. Rei remembered that he still had the bandages on his arms, wondering when it was okay to take them off. Kai was the only one that noticed this.

"Okay, see you later." Tyson said as Rei and Kai walked out.

"Kai, where are you going?" Max asked. Kai caught a hint of worry in his voice.

"I need to get home as well. I've been away for just as long as Rei." That seemed to ease him but Kai didn't ponder on why.

"You're not going home, are you?" Rei asked as Kai grabbed his bag and placed it on his shoulder.

"I guess it's a good thing that you requested that we take a break."

"Yea, that would show parts that we didn't tell."

When Rei appeared in the restaurant, both his boss and Jinochi were extremely glad that he was back. Rei told them that he's still injured from the experience but he will still work. His boss thought that it wouldn't be wise until he assured him that he wasn't going to Beyblade for a good while.

"Besides, it'll get his mind off of it." Jinochi said in Rei's defense.

"Okay, okay. But take it ease, got it?" His boss said.

"I will. Thanks. Do you want me to work now?"

"Nah, I can handle everything. You just rest up." Jinochi said.

"Okay. See ya tomorrow." They walked away.

Kai followed Rei to his apartment room since he didn't have anything better to do. It was very roomy with only a bed and a drawer for clothes in the room that you first see; there was a bathroom and kitchen; there were only two windows in the whole thing and only one was near the fire stairs.

"You like to live simply." Kai said as he grabbed a chair from the kitchen. There as a table and four chairs there.

"It did come with other things." Rei opened up the sliding closet to reveal that there was a rocking chair and futon that Rei was obviously never going to use. "I'm not sure why I have other blankets but I don't think I'll use them."

"They're called futon."

"Oh, that's what they are. Why do I have them if I got a bed?"

"It's tradition."

"Oh." Rei sat down on the bed and poured out all his stuff. Kai saw the extra translators that were there, remembering that Rei wanted to give them to the others.

"Don't give the translators to the others."

"Why?" Rei looked at him as he puts on his headband. He took it off immediately since it was on his head injury.

"Just thought that it would be interesting."

"Do you want the speaking translator?"

"Only if we leave Japan."

"But what if I start :speaking in some other language:"

" I know another language too and since we can understand each other that don't really make any difference. "

":Okay, I'll hand it to you if you ever need to leave Japan.:" He started to take off the bandages that were on his wrist. Both saw the full extend of what happened to them now. They were scraped so deep that you could actually see a curve. It was just on the muscle but it was all around. There does seem to be deeper cuts along the edge but that was it.

Rei lifted the legs of the pants to see that the ankles weren't as bad as the wrist but they were still ugly. There were only traces still on his neck.

" You might not want to expose them to the air. " Kai said.

":Yea…:" He got new bandages and started wrapping them. ":Wu's bath was supposed to regenerate the lost skin.:" Rei was explaining why he was really surprised. That meant that there was a lot more skin lost and even that bath couldn't recover it all.

" You might want to send a letter to her then so you can get something for it. "

":Yea, that would probably help me out a lot.:" Once he was done, Rei walked into the bathroom to look at his arm in the mirror. ":I guess you couldn't see the leashes on my arms.:"

Kai got up and noticed that he was talking about. They weren't that many but they were still deep. " Something else that she needs to send. "

":I'm so glad that I'm so wise.:" Rei walked out and put all his clothing away.

" Not changing? "

":Nah, there isn't a real point to it.:" Rei sat down on the bed again. ":Don't you need to go to your house:"

" And leave you to find the place by yourself? "

":And I don't have a clock to see if we need to get going or not.:"

Kai looked outside the window, seeing that there was a few more hours of sunlight left. " I don't think we need to leave right now. "

":What's in your bag anyway:"

Kai poured it out to see that he actually had his CD player, " I thought I left that here. " He picked it up, everything else was his clothing.

":Do you want to listen to it as we wait:"

" You don't have a CD player. "

":But you do. Just turn up the volume. The sound should carry.:"

Kai turned on the walkman and they just allowed the music to cover the whole room. Kai was wondering which voice was his father, of course now wanting all of their CDs. These voices were all too young for him to pick out his father's voice. Kai listened very closely to the one that he sung him to sleep with, that was his best clue as to who he was. But he didn't realize that they were a lot of instruments to make it hard to concentrate on one voice.

After a few rounds, Kai stopped the music and they headed out.

":Why are you leaving your stuff at my place:" Rei asked as they were walking down the stairs.

" I'll get them tomorrow. " Kai didn't trust himself taking it anywhere, especially that CD.

":Okay.:"

When they reached the nightclub, Krypton was waiting outside.

"+This is unusual. Normally we're the ones that are late.+" Krypton said as they were walking up to him.

"+Is there a reason that you're staying here+" Kai asked.

"Yea, I want to talk to Rei about something."

"You can keep Dark Dranzer."

"Why?"

"I don't need him nor do I desire to have him back."

"What's with the change?"

"I've just been remembering my past." He walked inside.

"What was that about?"

"He's been having flashbacks to his past, the one before he went to the abbey. So what do you want to talk about?"

"I'm glad that you protected Kai like you did. So what really happened there?"

"I'm telling the truth, I don't remember. Whatever happened, it's been blocked from my mind. I only have the scars to show me that something did happen there."

"Well, I'm sure that you protected Kai, so good job. Jade was really worried that she lost him forever. She was so depressed that she wouldn't come out of her room."

"Of course I protected Kai. That's what my training is all about. I am worried that my growing friendship with Kai is damaging my relationship with the others."

"Why are you worried about that?"

"I'm not really… I just don't want the others to feel that they're out of the loop because they're not important. I know that some things I'll now only talk about with Kai because he understands and there are things that he'll only tell me because he trusts me. That might be something that Jade needs to understand as well…"

"You're thinking too much into this. All you need to do is protect them. That doesn't mean that you had to get close to them."

"I can't protect them if they don't trust me. Maybe you should let the others know that I'm protecting him…"

"If I do that then I would have to tell them why you're protecting him. Don't let it bother you, okay? It's nothing to worry about." He walked inside as well. Rei really hoped that it was nothing.

The music was too loud for Rei's taste. He followed Krypton since he didn't know where to go. He found Kai standing near a pole and the other three dancing with Jade.

"You're allowing them to dance with her after what happened last time?" Krypton asked as he passed Kai.

"You're one to talk since it was you that pushed everyone away."

Krypton laughed joyfully. Rei could see that they were on lot better terms now. Jade noticed that Kai was there, and smiled seductively as she continued to dance with the others. After a while, Krypton got up, "Kai, just get her home."

"Where are you going?"

"Something else needs my attention. We haven't talked to Mr. Dickenson yet but we will tomorrow. So don't worry about him." Then he left.

"I think I should head out myself." Rei said.

"Not a dancer?"

"It's not that. I don't like all this loud music. I'm more of a nature man."

"I'll get my bag tomorrow morning then."

"Okay. Have fun with your dance." Rei walked out as well, loving the feeling of the open air. He smelt it before he opened his eyes. His eyes were thin and there were now ears and a tail on his body that were white with black strips. His nails were longer and the shoe he was wearing was absorbed into his feet and long nails were on his toes. Rei allowed Byakko to come out, they were now one. Rei jumped from building to building, practicing whatever came to his body. After all, this was only a test run.

"Where did Rei go?" Max asked as they walked back.

"He doesn't like the loud music." Kai answered.

"Bet he's afraid to dance." Tyson joked.

"And I was hoping to bring him to the dance floor once I rested too." Jade said as she sat down. "Next time, don't let him leave."

"There's going to be a next time?" Kai asked, since she directed her question at him.

"Of course. You're not going to have any matches any time soon so you might as well enjoy life."

"Well, can we not plan the next time so late?" Kenny asked, looking at a watch that he recently put on.

"Don't tell me that you have to leave now."

"Yea, we all promised that we'll be over at Tyson's house tomorrow. Why don't you guys come some time so we can talk?" Max said.

"That sounds cool. I'm in with that plan. How about you Kai?"

Kai just shrugged, not really caring either way. "I'll inform Rei tomorrow."

"Why you? We all know where he works." Max asked.

"I was going to meet up with him tomorrow. I left my bag at his place."

"Didn't you go home?"

"Rei doesn't know how to get here and I knew that it would be too late if I walked there and back." Kai could see the worry that Max was trying to hide. It was now getting on his nerves but he still wasn't going to say anything.

"Well, we got to get going. See ya tomorrow. Jade, Krypton can come too, if he wants." Tyson said.

"I'll see if he wants to."

They left, but Max didn't look too happy with Kai for some reason but he just ignored it. Jade got up from the table and went into Kai's arms. They kissed for a good while before pulling back.

"I know that you two were hiding a few things. Should I know about them?"

"I'll ask him about it. It all happened to him after all."

"Krypton kept on reassuring me that Rei will always protect you. That you'll never be hurt as long as he was around."

Kai just realized that. Rei moved much quicker when Yoma aimed at him. That just reminded him of all the times that they were hinting things about Rei. Rei has a few things that are hidden from him, will Rei ever tell him everything? "He did. I'm not going to say how yet but just now that he did. I don't know if he did while we were in Russia, but I now have a feeling that he did."

"I'm sorry that he got hurt for you."

"I am too." Kai knew that Rei didn't need to suffer this way.

After a while, they went out to the dance floor.

Wow, that was a good way to end everything… I noticed that these things are getting longer… Well, at least when it involves Wu and her friends… Wow… I have nothing to say… Other than why is Max so worried about Kai being near Rei? At least, that's how I'm seeing it. It could be something totally different. Anyway, Baibai!


	11. Chap 10 A Weird Start for Loyalty

Yo! Wazzup! I hope that you haven't forgotten about me… Though how could you since I have something to say every chapter :Smiles: Anyway, what can I talk about now? Hm?... How was your day? Well… I can't really tell you about mine since I'm watching over the little kids… though if they knew that I called them kids, they might not like that so much… But that's okay! Since they'll never know so I can call them kids and children all I want and they will never know the difference… Now just don't tell them and we'll be peachy… Okay, you know that Rei is recovering from his time in Russia and Kai is just waiting for everything to fall right into his lap… speaking of which, I wonder who his father his… Anyway, I think I've talked long enough… Time to let this story unfold…

Rei reached his apartment late into the night. They had a good run, making Rei realized that as long as he had Byakko with him, he didn't have to suffer the physical pain. He picked up a few of Kai's things so he could just gather them when he came. Once he was done, he allowed Byakko to have full control over his body. He wanted to sleep and allowed his body some rest so he told Byakko not to do anything too wild tonight. That meant that he couldn't go out and get a view of the city himself.

So when Rei fell asleep, Byakko looked at the body he was using in the mirror. He realized that it was harder for him to walk on two legs without Rei's help so he just crawled everywhere. He noticed how thin Rei's body was, making him go to the scent of food. Rei couldn't eat since he was starved while in Russia. He ate slowly, so the body got use to having food within its stomach.

Kai and Jade were walking out from the nightclub. They didn't stay until it closed this time, since they wanted to be by themselves for a while. They found themselves near the beach, so they were watching as the moon lit the waves and water. It was the only way they could see the waves hitting the beach.

"I love you." Kai said into her ear. He didn't want to let her go, but he knew that she had to go home at some point.

"I love you too." She placed her left hand on his arms. That made Kai realized that he had never felt her false hand.

"Jade…"

"Yes?"

Kai wanted to tell her what has happened so far to him, but wasn't sure where to begin. "I want you to know that… I'm going to be searching for my father."

"Why?"

"Because it seems that he was the only one that had ever showed me some kind of a love."

"I'll help you search for him. What about your mother?"

"I haven't had any memories about her."

"You mean you've forgotten about your parents?"

"Yea… I had a father before I went to the abbey and when the event with Dark Dranzer occurred, I wanted to go back to him."

"I see… Do you have any idea on where to look?"

"I have a few places, though if I ever wanted to test one theory, I always have Kaiba-san to ask."

"Why him?" She wasn't hiding her disgusted.

"He seems to think that a friend of his is my father, but he doesn't want to cause him more harm if he's wrong. At least that's what Rei told me."

"Well… if he's willing to help you, then I guess I can bare it."

"Do you really not want someone to look into your past?"

"I don't want him to. That's all."

"Well, I also want you to know that you can tell me anything that's on your mind. I feel cheated that Rei knows things about you before I did."

"Sorry… that was when I was supposed to be going with him. I'll tell you everything from now on, okay?"

"Good, because there's something that you need to know."

"What?"

"When we came back to Japan after the World Championships, Krypton took Dark Dranzer away from me. That was one of the main reasons I fought him."

Jade stared at him, totally blank on what to say. "… So… who has him now?"

"I don't want him anymore so Krypton has him. Don't worry; I don't think that he'll use him."

"Does anyone else know about this?"

"Rei knew, though how I'm not really sure. Krypton might've revealed it to him, but that's only a guess."

"At least you told me. Thanks. So what was the other reason?"

"I thought your brother was controlling you so I wanted him to break it. Now, I know that he was just very protected of you."

"He is. Rei told you?"

"A bit."

Jade smiled, "We better get home. After all, we're going over to Tyson's house tomorrow."

Kai nodded and they started to walk over to where Jade now lives. Kai first thought that she just met her brother here before going home. But now knowing that they don't have their parents, he knew that this is their home. When she kissed him good night, he brought her right hand up to his face. She was surprised, but allowed it. Her hand was a cold but it did feel like a hand. He didn't mean like skin but it wasn't like a robot's either. "Try not to keep things from me."

She smiled, "You try to do the same."

He kissed her metallic hand before letting go. She walked inside. Once she was around the corner, he walked away himself.

He was wondering what secrets that Rei was keeping. He knew that there was an inner beast within Rei. Bastetka mentioned it, meaning that he might've learned about it through Wu herself. He figured that this beast came out when Rei's nails were long and his eyes were more like a cat's than human. Then there was his past. He wondered what was there. Kai realized that he knew none of their history too well. He knew that Max's parents were divorced and that Tyson lived with his Grandfather and his father is an archeologist. He knew nothing on Kenny and all he knew about Rei's was that he lived in an isolated village in China. He wasn't allowed to leave, and he worked in Hong Kong. He didn't even know when Rei first met Mr. Dickenson.

Of course now it just hit him at how the White Tigers team was able to speak to them in Japanese since they were so isolated. That most likely meant that someone taught them how to speak Japanese. Of course, then Rei's skills as a warrior came back into his mind. He wondered why he wanted to be the best. He understood that he wanted to bring his village pride, but he had already brought them that with the World Championships. He wanted to be the best, but Rei never allowed anyone to know why. He wondered if Wu or Lee knew why. He figured that they probably knew, since they knew him since he was young and he still talks to them.

Kai opened a door and turned on a light. He looked around him to see that it was a fancy room. There was a lot of wealthy furniture everywhere. Kai looked around dumbfound since he didn't know where he was. His eyes widened as he realized that this was his Grandfather's house. A cloth with some liquid on it was forced over his nose and mouth. Someone was holding him down, forcing him to smell the liquid. He started to black out, but he managed to see through the mirror that his Grandfather was the one that was causing this.

Byakko was now on the bed, but he was lying across it. He was becoming bored since he already knew where everything was within the house, though he didn't know what some of the things were, and he was only allowed to go out on the window for a little bit since it was going to rain soon. He was hoping that Rei would allow him to explore tomorrow since he wanted to see everything himself.

The door opened, making Byakko realized that they didn't lock the door. He sat up like a human would, but also ready to attack since no one was supposed to be here. The boy that was in Russia with Rei came into his place and closed the door. Byakko noticed that there seemed to be something different about him. His eyes weren't the ones that he saw as he looked through the cage. Byakko relaxed as he walked over to him, though he wondered how he was going to handle this since Rei didn't want to be awoken until morning.

"You're not Rei, are you?" He asked in a way that got Byakko curious. Kai, remembering that's the name that Rei told him, extended his hand to touch his face lightly. Byakko watched him and then his hand, wondering what he was doing.

He got up and kissed him on the lips lightly. Byakko backed up, not knowing what was going on, but knew that this wasn't right. That made him smile, "Don't worry." He did it again, but it wasn't just one. When Kai wasn't getting a response from him, "It's okay. It's alright."

Byakko allowed it, seeing no harm in what he was doing. He wasn't giving it as much back as Kai was giving, but Kai didn't seem to mind. Then Kai's tongue found its way into his mouth. Byakko found that it felt weird but exciting something within him. Kai continued this as he took off his own shirt. Byakko allowed him to take off his own.

It took Byakko a while to realize that Kai had pushed him on his back. He pushed Kai up so he knew what he did. "Don't worry. I'll take it slow."

Byakko looked at him as Kai was taking off his own belt. He continued to kiss him as he was completing his stripping. Byakko moved Kai's hands onto the belt that was his pants. Kai started to take it off as he was now kissing his neck. Kai allowed him to tell him whether he was allowed to remove his pants or not. Of course, placing his hands on it was a good indicator of what he wanted.

When Rei woke up the next morning, he found that his body was aching a bit. Once he got his senses back, he realized that he had no clothes on and that there was heat next to him. He looked to see that Kai was sleeping next to him and he appeared to have no shirt on!

Rei jumped out of the bed, wondering what the hell happened. He looked at the floor to see that their clothes were lying there, clarifying what he thought. He got on his clothes and went to the restaurant.

When Kai woke up, he didn't know where he was. It took him a while to realize that he was in Rei's apartment. He wondered why he was there and why he had no clothes on. He took a shower before putting on his clothes. He wondered why the bag he used for traveling was here. He also noticed that his CD player was out and played what was inside it. He remembered that it was the band called the Teenage Wolves. Kai realized with terrifying shock that he forgot that his father sang these songs.

He knew right then that something wasn't right. Since he figured that Rei was at work, he went down there to ask him why he was in his apartment.

"That's really weird." Jinochi said once Rei finished telling what happened this morning.

"I know that Byakko allowed it, but I'm not sure why Kai would even…"

The door opened and Kai came walking in. Rei was about to greet him when he felt the heat in his cheeks and some overwhelming joy on his face that he left through the back way of the restaurant.

"What was that about?" Kai asked as he took a seat. He didn't see Rei's face, but he could tell that Rei didn't want him to see it.

"I don't really know. I'll go find out." Jinochi walked after him. Kai hoped that it wasn't serious, since he needed to talk to him.

Rei managed to calm Byakko down, now knowing that Byakko wanted to see Kai again. Rei promised that he could see him but he couldn't use his body to express himself.

"Rei, are you alright?" Jinochi asked when he came out.

"Yea, but Byakko wants to see Kai again."

"Well, it doesn't seem like he knows what happened last time either so you might need to go talk to him."

"Okay." Rei made sure that Byakko remembered their agreement before walking back into the restaurant. "Hi Kai." Rei said with a smile. He was glad that Byakko was keeping his word.

"We need to talk. Can you step outside for a minute?"

Rei looked at Jinochi and he nodded his head, "Sure."

They walked to the front of the restaurant, but to the right side that way no one coming to the place would see them. "Do you know why I was in your apartment this morning?" Kai noticed that the ground was wet.

"I'm not sure myself, but I'm sure it was a harmless visit whatever it was."

Kai could tell that Rei didn't know, though he had an idea at to what happened, as did he. "Anyway, could you do me a favor?"

"What?" Rei was surprised that Kai got off that subject quick, but didn't really mind.

"Could you keep my CD player and CD in your apartment for a while?"

"Why? Wouldn't you want those since it contains your father's voice?"

"That's the thing. It seemed like I completely forgot about that when I was listening to it this morning."

"How?"

"I'm not sure. I don't even remember what happened after I left Jade last night."

"That means that something happened to you between those times. Did you go home?"

"I think I was heading there… but I can't remember."

"Do you think that you blocked it out yourself?"

"I don't think so… I have this feeling that something happened to me while going home. But I have nothing to prove it."

"Intuition is sometimes more reliable than your mind. I say that you should listen to it.'

"Do you think that I should go home tonight?"

"I say that you should to see if this happens again."

"You mean me waking up in your apartment." Because he wasn't in favor of that happening again.

"I mean you forgetting about your father. I'll have that CD playing in the restaurant in the morning."

"Okay. I'll agree to that. Oh, should I tell Jade what really happened?"

"You mean my scars?"

"Yea."

"Well… yea… It's okay if she knows."

"Good. I'm trying not to keep things from her. She also knows about Dark Dranzer."

"I say that you're doing a good job of it. So, do you want breakfast?"

"Might as well. Oh, we're going to Tyson's house for something."

"Why?"

"They didn't really say."

"Okay." They went back into the restaurant and Rei was serving him breakfast. It wasn't that long until Max came walking into the restaurant. He was surprised to see Kai there, eating breakfast that Rei made.

"Good morning Max. Did you come here to eat breakfast?" Rei asked.

"Yea." He sat right next to Kai. "I'll have number three."

"Okay." Rei started to make it.

"Are you making sure that Rei came on time to Tyson's house?" Kai asked.

"I wanted to make sure that you told him."

"What time are we supposed to be there anyway?"

"Around eleven a.m."

"Okay."

"Then it's a good thing that it's nine." Rei said.

It became dead silent as Rei was finishing with Max's breakfast. Kai was sipping some tea since he already had breakfast. Max wasn't comfortable with the fact that Kai was here so early. Max noticed that Rei didn't have his headband, making his bands hang lower over his face and his wrists were wrapped. This is also the time that he noticed how pale he looked, no matter how he smiled. He was also thinner and his eyes still held little life. Max looked over at Kai to see that he didn't seem to care, that or noticed.

"Thanks Rei." Max said as he took the food.

"No problem." Rei smiled.

Max ate quietly. He wondered why they weren't talking. Since he figured that they talk a lot when they're not around. "Kai, do you know if Jade and Krypton are coming?"

"I don't."

"Shouldn't you know?"

"Didn't have time to ask her and she didn't say last night." Though if she did, he might've forgotten about it.

"Oh… This is really good Rei."

"I'm usually good."

"Did they teach you how to cook this?" Max placed another mouth full into his mouth.

"Some of the things they taught me but I knew how to make a few of them already."

"When did you have to make them? I thought you lived in China."

"I did come to Japan a few times."

"That doesn't mean that you had to learn how to cook the food."

"I decided to."

"Oh." He finished off his breakfast. "We better head over to Tyson's house."

"Okay, let me get something from my apartment." He walked through the back of the restaurant and they went through the front.

"Is there a reason Rei's wrists are wrapped?" Max didn't want to ask Kai but he figured that he knew.

"New style."

"And his headband?"

"He thought it was getting annoying." Kai didn't seem to want to answer, meaning that he knew the reasons. Max didn't like being in the dark about it.

"Why don't you just tell me? I'm his friend as well."

Kai wanted to say that Rei is really no one's friend, maybe now him. He's true friends are back in China, around the world, and in Kuramoto. "What makes you think I know?"

"Because you were with him the most…" Though Max found himself that he didn't want to admit that.

"Just let it go."

"Okay, I will." Jinochi said since Rei asked him to keep Kai's bag with him.

"Thanks. That way he doesn't have to go far to get it."

"Well, you better get going."

"Right, see ya." Rei walked through the front to see them there. Kai looked like he wanted to ignore Max and Max seemed to be asking something. "Okay, let's go."

"What did you need to get?" Max asked as they were walking. He noticed that Kai was behind them, like he always has.

"I wanted to make sure that something could be in easy reach if it's needed." Rei quickly looked at Kai, allowing him to know that it was his bag since he didn't grab then.

"You're not planning on leaving again."

"Of course not. I have no intention on running away."

"Good. Otherwise Jade would make you run again or worst."

"Yep, that's why I'm not running away."

Kai knew that's not really a good excuse since he knows that Rei is a lot more athletic than he lets everyone else know. "So why are we meeting up at his house?" He would much rather be with Jade then hang out with them.

"Come on Kai, think of it as a party for our safe return." Rei said with a smile.

"I not do parties."

"You will if we dress you like a clown."

Kai just stared at him, wondering why he's acting this way, "You have multiple sides, don't you?"

"What do you mean?" Rei now looked confused; the same with Max but Kai didn't care about his face.

"First you're dramatic then you're poetic. Now you're annoying."

"Really?" He smiled to himself before turning back around. "Fine. Max, do you know the reason we're hanging out at Tyson's house?"

"Not really. His Grandfather is throwing something for us, I think." Max was surprised that they were open, especially Kai. Max noticed that he was now starting to hate him. "Anyway, do we really need a reason to be together as a team?"

"That's a good point." Rei agreed.

When they got there, Tyson's Grandfather was still cooking.

"Is Jade and Krypton coming?" Kenny asked as they sat in the dojo.

"Jade most likely will." Kai said.

"Tyson! Your last two homies are here." His Grandfather said.

Tyson got up and went to get them. He led them into the dojo and Jade went right over to Kai. Krypton went was between them and Rei.

"Nice club you have here." Krypton said.

"Okay, my Grandpa wanted to put on a feast for winning against the Yami Hunters." Tyson explained.

"Oh, we told Mr. Dickenson that you two are back. He might drop by, if he knows about this." Jade said.

"Yea, Grandpa told him."

"So, no one has told me yet what these Yami Hunters are like." Krypton said, hinting that he wanted to be told.

"They're clever and they use something called Duel Monsters to help them as they battle." Kenny said.

"How are they clever?"

"They just are." Tyson just ended it right there. Krypton, as well as everyone else that wasn't either battling or was hurt by the shadows, knew that something wasn't right. Tyson, the happy-go attitude person, was gone for that brief moment. It was his voice more than his expression or tone that told them.

"They were okay off the battlefield." Rei said, taking away the atmosphere. "They just get protective of their sponsor, Kaiba-san."

"I hope they're okay." Max said.

"Oh, there's a concert coming up and you guys are going to see it." Krypton said.

"Why? When is it?" Tyson asked.

"Because we say so and that's all you need to know. We'll let you know."

"Tyson, Mr. Dickenson is here to see you." His Grandfather called.

"Right." He got up and Kai and Jade separated really quickly. He walked into the place, somehow changing the atmosphere to something that wasn't theirs. Kai looked at Rei, seeing him going back to his old self.

"It's nice to see you two here and well." Mr. Dickenson said.

"It's great to be back, Mr. D." Rei said.

"Where were you two taken?"

Kai started to explain what happened. Kai didn't tell him about the beating that he told the others. He left out that they went to Wu and Yoma's houses since he didn't need to know that part. He also didn't tell him that someone helped them out, since he didn't want Mr. Dickenson to brag about it around them and have him get into more trouble.

"My! Well, I'm sure glad that you're alright." He got up, "Rei," he started to walk over toward him, "I need to talk to you outside for a moment."

Kai noticed that Rei's eyes were showing his fear. He could barely hear him speaking, ":Don't come near me.:"

"Mr. Dickenson," Kai stood up, getting everyone's attention but Rei's, "What is it that's so important that you can't say in front of us?" Rei was now looking at him, but his eyes remained the same. Kai noticed that his nails were growing long, so he figured that the inner beast might do something that Rei wouldn't want it to do.

"It's very important."

Rei got up and walked outside. Kai sat down, glad to know that Rei was back in control. Mr. Dickenson followed Rei.

"What was that about?" Krypton asked.

"Whatever happened to Rei, he's body hasn't gotten over it." Kai said and everyone fell silent.

Rei was breathing hard, glad that Kai had stopped Mr. Dickenson from coming closer. Byakko was about to attack him, but Rei didn't know why he was fearful.

"Rei, why did Kai ask? You haven't told them, have you?" Mr. Dickenson said once the door was fully closed.

"What are you talking about Mr. Dickenson?" Rei was looked at the pond but he was leaning against the wall. He was within the shadows, and Mr. Dickenson was in the sun's rays.

"You didn't tell them about your real reason for being here."

Rei closed his eyes, remembering that he was only here to bring peace to the world. Somehow, only he could save the world. Mr. Dickenson wanted him to find things for him, whether it be on his own teammates or other teams. He's just a puppet, but he could never tell the others that. "Of course not, Mr. Dickenson, that wouldn't be good for anyone. Besides, they wouldn't believe me anyway."

"So, what happened?"

"It was exactly how Kai told it."

"Boris told me not to be surprise if I saw you with a different loyalty. What did he mean by that?"

"I fought back. They never controlled me." Rei didn't know why he wanted to kill himself right there, but he did.

"Good. Make sure that you don't get yourself into a situation like that again."

"Right, Mr. Dickenson."

He walked back inside, "Well, enjoy your party."

"You're not staying, Mr. D?" Tyson asked.

"I wish I could but I just wanted to make sure that they were all right." He let himself out.

"Rei, aren't you coming back in?" Max asked at the door.

"I will…" Rei wanted to say more, but he couldn't. He heard the door close and he sat down. As he put his head down on his knees, he left someone near him.

"You said that friends need to be there for each other. You don't have to say anything." Kai said. Rei smiled to himself, glad that Kai was just there.

"I wonder if Kai knows more than he's letting us know." Tyson said out loud.

"Maybe Rei made him promise not to say anything about it." Krypton offered.

"Rei genuinely doesn't know anything. If he did, I'm sure that he would be more broken than what he is now. Kai's seen him in atmospheres that we haven't. Kai got to see a different side of him that we haven't. Give him time to tell you guys." Jade said.

"Why only us?" Max asked, hiding his anger.

"I'm already giving him time."

Kai noticed that Rei fell asleep and he was now purring. He knew that Rei has some cat features, but he didn't think that he could actually purr. His body fell upon his and he's head was lightly rubbing against him. "Rei?" He froze, like debating on what to do next. He lifted up his head and looked at him. His eyes were the same as they were going over to Wu's house.

Kai looked at his hands, seeing the nails long again. The beast smiled, but it looked so much like Rei's. "Rei? Are you still in there?"

He blinked his eyes a few times before suddenly standing up. "Let's go back inside." He walked around him quickly and entered the room. Kai knew that Rei was back, but he wondered what that was all about.

He walked over to Jade as everyone was talking. No one was talking about what Mr. Dickenson wanted to talk to Rei about, or why Kai was out there with him. Tyson's Grandfather brought in the food and they were having an even better time. Kai noticed that Rei was talking more than eating. Kai knew that Rei could eat just as much as Tyson when he was really bored, so he knew that Rei still hadn't recovered. He didn't eat that much over at Wu's house or at Yoma's.

Kai would've made it a point that Rei was at least drinking something, seeing him not drinking much either, but Max was giving him weird looks. He wouldn't have cared if he knew that Max doesn't normally act like that.

"Make sure that you guys come over to the park at six." Jade said once they were done.

"Why? We're not doing to train for a while." Tyson said.

"It's for the concert. Be there or die." Krypton said with warning.

"Fine, we'll be there."

"Good. See you then." Jade kissed Kai on the cheek before they left.

"Do you know who we're going to see?" Kenny directed it at Kai.

"Just be there. It's important to them."

"At least that gives me some time to work. I'll be there at six." Rei said before taking off.

"Kai, why is Rei so pale?" Max asked.

"Yea, now that you mentioned it, he did look pale." Tyson agreed.

"I was told that they weren't feeding him." Kai figured that he should tell them, that way they can help with getting him to eat something.

"Why didn't you tell us that in the beginning?" Max asked with worry in his voice.

"I didn't think that it was still affecting him. I was hoping that he was getting some food, but I don't think he was. Not the way that he has been eating recently."

"I didn't notice anything unusual about his eating pattern." Kenny said.

"Of course you didn't." Kai walked away, though they didn't know where.

"I'm sure that Kai is just over reacting." Kenny said, "After all, we all know that Rei is okay."

"Yea… I mean, everyone has to be feed, including prisoners." Tyson added.

"Yeah. Well, I'm going home now. I'll see you two at the park." Max said as he ran out of there.

Max ended up at the steam that's so popular for them. He found a rock and threw it into the water. It skipped a bit before actually falling. He sat down and stared at the water. He hated how Kai was able to get into Rei's head more than he could. Kai never liked him before, so why was Rei so close to him? He wanted to be that close to him. He wanted Rei to trust him with secret things, important things. Kai is probably using poor Rei for some evil plan he has, Max figured. He knows, though Tyson's story-telling, that Kai has used people before and he hasn't changed that much from then.

"Al?" Max heard a voice called. He looked to see who was calling for a name to see this blonde hair with a braid and bangs like Rei's person looking at him. His face told Max that he was older than him, but he doesn't know by how much.

" Can I help you? " Max figured he was American since of his hair.

He ran right down to him, "+Is that the only language you know+"

"+I know Japanese too.+"

"What language was that?"

"It's English."

"I see. Oh, sorry about before. You reminded me of someone that I knew." The guy sat down next to him. "My name is Ed, what's yours?"

"I'm Max."

"Nice to meet you Max. So, what country am I in?"

"You're in Japan… Shouldn't you know that?"

"Nah, I've came from Germany. At least I'm in the country that I'm supposed to be in."

"But… how do you not know that you're in Japan? You speak it well."

"I have my reasons." His stomach started to growl.

"Are you a traveler?"

"Yea."

"Well, I can get you something at my house if you want."

"Really?" His eyes were showing his hope that it was true.

"Yea, I'm sure my father won't mind."

"Thank you so much." A steam of tears was coming out of his eyes.

"So, you came to Japan because a lady told you that she would meet you here?" Mr. Tate said as Ed was eating.

"That's right, sir." He said before stuffing himself again.

"Do you know the lady's name?"

"I forgot to ask for it before she left. But she pointed to the east and that's where I went." Max was now paying attention to his outfit. It was a red trench coat, white gloves with some red design on them, black pants and boots. "This is really good." Ed said once he was done.

"I'm glad that you like it. You can stay here for as long as you need."

"Thank you very much, sir, but I don't mean to be a bother."

"You won't be a bother at all."

"Oh dad, I need to go to this concert tonight." Max said, now just remembering about it.

"Why?"

"Jade and Krypton said that we have to."

"Okay. Ed, you can sleep in Max's room."

"Really, I'm sure I can find a place."

"Do you have any money?" Max asked.

"No."

"Then you won't be able to get a better place than this for a while."

"By the way, how old are you?" Mr. Tate asked.

"I'm twenty-five, why?"

"Just wondering."

"Okay, I'll show you my room." Max said and they went upstairs.

"I'll sleep on the floor." Ed said as he stepped into the room. "Is there anything I can do? I should really pay you guys back."

"There might be something later."

"Who's this?" Ed pointed to his mother.

"That's my mother."

"Is she not here anymore?" Ed looked at him.

"She's in America right now. My parents are divorced."

"Sorry to hear that. Mine is dead."

"Sorry."

"Does she visit?"

"If she can but she has a team to run so I haven't seen her in a long while."

"What's this trophy for?" Ed was pointing at the one that they got for the World Championship. "Sorry, I just realized that I'm being nosey."

"It's okay. That's the one when my team won the World Championship tournament."

"Are you into some kind of sport?"

"It's called Beyblade. It's really popular right now."

"Can I see what it's about?"

"Sure." They walked outside to the terrain that they built. "Go Draciel!" Max launched him into it and he was doing maneuvers that he was practicing as Rei and Kai were gone. The last thing that Draciel had to do was smash a rock, which he did with ease, before launching itself back into his hand.

"HOW CAN THAT BE! IT DIDN'T DO ANYTHING TO YOUR HAND!" Ed yelled.

"What are you talking about?"

"Can… I see it?" He seemed to hold some bewilderment about the whole thing.

Max placed Draciel into his hand he was examining it very carefully. "What are you looking for? It's a defensive style."

"All that power came from this thing? Explain everything about this."

Max did, though not really knowing why. Ed seemed to be fascinated with everything that Max was telling him, while looking at Draciel. When he gave him enough information about it, without going into too much detail about it, Ed took one final look at Draciel before handing him back.

"I'm impressed that you could have so much power within that tiny thing. It's really amazing."

"Haven't you heard of Beybaldes?"

"No, but it's really amazing."

"By the way, who's Al?"

"Al is my younger brother."

"Where is he?"

"He's… back home."

"Why didn't he come with you?"

"He… couldn't…" He looked at the ground with sadness within them.

"You don't have to tell me. But why did you say his name when you saw me?"

"Well… you just reminded me of him for a moment. Sorry if it was awkward for you."

"Nah, I thought you were looking for someone."

"Max, do you want dinner before going to that concert?" His father asked.

"Yea."

He went back inside. They followed him.

Kai came into the restaurant around five. "Hi Kai, why are you here?" Rei smiled.

" Why aren't you eating anything? "

":What are you talking about? I'm eating.:"

" Don't you give me that crap. You've hardly eaten anything. The only time you did was when we were eating on the train. "

":I'm just not hungry.:"

" Rei, they weren't feeding you while we were there. You have to eat and drink something. "

":They weren't:"

" That's what Dmitriy told me. I'm not sure how many times his brother was able to get to you, but I'm sure it wasn't often. "

":That might explain why I shiver very now and then. I'll try my best to eat something.:"

" You better since I told the team about it. "

":Why:"

" I want to make sure that you do. You need to recover from this. "

":Thanks for your concern, Kai. Were you the only one that noticed:"

" Yea. "

":Have you gone home yet:"

" I'm going after the concert. "

":Your bag is still here whenever you want it back.:"

" Right. "

"+How can you two understand each other when you're speaking two different languages+" Jinochi asked.

"+Wu's friends gave me these.+" Rei took out the hearing translator.

"They allow the wearer to hear another language." Kai said.

"That's really cool. So what languages were you two speaking in?"

"I was speaking in my native language." Rei said as he placed them back into his ears.

"And I was speaking in Russian."

"That's awesome. Is there something that you can use to speak in another language?"

"Yea." Rei pulled it out from his hair. "This allows the wearer to change the language they speak. It was really cool to use."

"Kai, have you used it before?" Jinochi looked at him.

"Only once."

"That's really cool. Kai, are you here to have dinner? Rei was telling me that you guys had a concert to go to."

"Sure."

"Okay. I'll make it this time."

"You better make Rei something too."

"Why?"

"Kai said that I haven't been eating." Rei answered.

"Have you?"

"I thought I was."

"I'll make you something light then. These will be on the house."

"Or do you mean out of our paychecks?"

"As long as the boss-man doesn't know, we're cool. Sit down for a while."

Rei walked over to where Kai was and sat down.

Max was the first one at the spot. He was hoping that Rei would be next.

"Hey Max." He looked up, hearing Rei's voice. He saw him and Kai walking together up to him. "And here I thought we would be first."

Max noticed that Rei's paleness was more evident with the fading of the sun. "Well, I guess I just beat you to it." He forced a smile on his face.

"Great, now all we have to wait for is Tyson." Kenny said as he was walking up.

"Not for long!" Tyson said as he was running up to them.

"That's a surprise, you're on time." Kai said with a cold manner, though everyone knew that it was more of a joke.

"I wonder who we're going to see. And why are they bringing us along?" Tyson said, since they weren't here.

"What makes you think any of us knows more than you do?" Rei asked.

"They might've told you or something."

"Well, we haven't heard anything new." Max looked at Kai.

"I haven't seen her since she left Tyson's house. I was going to ask her, but their friends said that they were out."

"Good, she said that you would be here." They turned around to see this guy that belonged to a gang, by the symbol on his shirt. "I'm here to escort you to the concert. Jade and Krypton's orders."

That surprised everyone, minus Kai, since they didn't know they were apart of a gang. Rei now understood some of the things that Krypton and Jade were talking about when he first met them.

"Lead on." Kai said, making him walk. They just followed, though none said a word.

The place was really packed with people but they were able to move pass them to the front row. That's when he left them and they allowed the other people to come in to fill in the seats. Of course they being clueless were leaving them in an awkward position among the roaring and exciting crowd. After a while, a new band came on stage and started pouring their voices to the crowd.

Tyson, Max, and Kenny were all getting into the different bands that were coming up. They were all new and all seem to be good. Kai was just being his old self since he didn't care for crowds and Rei thought the people were being way too noisy. He could barely hear the musicians, so how could they?

"I hope you guys liked all the warm-ups." The announcer guy said, making the crowd roar more. "Now here's our main act. The Lost Shadows!" They roared again as he walked off.

They could hear them rising to the stage from below. They played a cord and everyone knew that it was Jade and Krypton. Smoke was coming up with them and the lights were off them a bit as before they finished their rising. When the lights hit, they lifted up their heads and started playing.

Krypton was wearing a black trench coat, red tank top, and black pants. He was playing the guitar and singing, the lead singer no less. Jade was wearing her hair down with some of it over her shoulders, forearm bracelet on her left, she had the thin band that she had at the tournament, a skirt with slits up both sides that was red, a strapless black shirt with her other red jewel attached to it. Kai thought her make-up made her beautifully evil since it was all dark colors. She was the back-up singer and the keyboardist, though she had two keyboards that she was playing.

Rei noticed that there were other instruments that were also being heard, but there was no other there. He wondered where they were coming from as he noticed that he was losing control. Byakko came out, wanting to have some air. He looked around, wondering where Rei was before spotting Kai. He looked at the stage to see two people singing. The place was too noisy for him, so he allowed Rei control again.

Rei couldn't believe that Byakko just did that. They agreed that Rei would let him know when it's safe to come out. He knew that this wasn't a good sign.

"What did you guys think?" Krypton asked once the whole thing was over. The same person led them back stage to talk to them.

"You guys were really awesome. You never said that you were in a band." Tyson said.

"We wanted it to be a surprise. I only found out about it when we came back." Jade said as Kai wrapped his arms around her.

"You guys were really great. Are you under some kind of contract or something?" Rei asked.

"Yea, but we have a lot more leeway than most other bands at our age." Krypton said.

"Why?" Kenny asked.

"Because of our parents. Our mother was a famous singer around the world so most people think we got our talent from her." Jade said.

"What was your mother's name?"

"C'mon Kenny, we don't reveal our past that easily." Krypton said.

"What about your father?" Max asked.

"He was her bodyguard, so he went wherever she did."

"So you were never separated from your parents. That's pretty cool. Where are they now?" Max knew to never dig too deep with someone's parentage, especially if they haven't seen them.

"They're dead." Jade said as a fact.

"Sorry to hear that."

"It's okay. Well, it's getting close to eleven, incase you need to know the time."

"Thanks. See you around." Tyson and Kenny walked out.

"You're not going with them?" Jade looked at Max.

"I can stay a bit longer."

Kai whispered something to Jade and she smiled with delight. "Krypton, do you need my help?"

"Nah, go have fun. Just come home."

"Right father." She smiled as they walked away.

"You bet I'm acting like a father."

"She'll be home." Kai said.

"I think it's interesting to see this new side to Kai." Rei said when they were no longer there.

"Yea, Jade isn't acting like herself either. You two don't have to worry about me. My underlings are taking our stuff. Where you surprise to find out?"

"I knew you were tough, I didn't think you were that tough." Max said.

"Everything I learned about you two now makes sense." Rei said.

"I didn't think you would recognize it." Krypton said.

"My co-worker explained a few things."

"I see. Oh, Jade wants to take you guys somewhere. It's going to be out in the mountains since she thought of something as she was depressed. It's funny, even at her worst time, she still works."

"Maybe that's her way of working it out. When do we need to meet at the park?"

"Day after tomorrow at five-o clock a.m."

"Why that early?" Max asked.

"That's what she decided. I'm only the messenger."

"We'll tell the others then. See ya later." Rei said and they walked out.

Rei really did like the open air a lot more than the close. It was a bit breezy, but it still felt good.

"Rei?" He looked over at Max, "Do you want to hang out tomorrow?"

"How come?" Rei didn't really mind, he just wanted to know the reason.

"You don't know the city that well and I thought that I can show you a few places that way you won't get lost."

"Sure, sounds like fun. Come by the restaurant when you want to start." Rei didn't need to tell him that he knows the city itself pretty well since he stay in this area for a while because of that local tournament. He was bored a lot so he went searching around for something interesting. Though he remembered that he couldn't really read what he saw, but he knew what they looked like. He wondered why Max thought he didn't know the city, since he never gave a hint that he did or didn't.

"Great. See ya tomorrow." He ran off to his house and Rei allowed Byakko to take his body home.

"What are you still doing up?" Max asked Ed as he came in. Ed seemed to be reading something on their table with a lamp as the only light source. Max noticed that he wasn't wearing his red coat and he was wearing a black jacket underneath it. "You're going to damage your eyesight if you do that."

"Sorry, I didn't want to disturb your father. So, was that concert fun?"

"Yea, it was. Well, I'm going to bed. Come up whenever you're finished reading it."

"Okay. Night."

Max went upstairs and fell asleep.

Byakko was following Kai high above him. He seemed to be walking alone, which he didn't know why. He knew that he couldn't go to him since he can't talk to him. He learned that he couldn't talk like Rei could, but he wanted to so he could talk to him. He was heading for some dark, huge building. Byakko figured it was his house so he left him to go back to the apartment.

In the morning, Rei got their boss to play the CD that Kai had. It wasn't hard, since he loved them when they were popular.

"Is he coming today?" He asked Rei as he popped it into the restaurant's CD player.

"He should be."

"Well, they did a duel concert with a very famous singer as they're final act. It was about fifteen years ago and I got their CD for that concert."

"Yea, I'm sure that he would love to hear it."

"Good to hear it." Rei went back to the front.

"Why do you want that to be playing when Kai comes?" Jinochi asked.

"Kai seemed to have memory lapses about yesterday so we're seeing if he would be the same today. Trust me; these songs are really important to Kai."

"At least he wasn't in your bed this morning."

"That's true and we'll both be glad for it."

Kai came in and he had this confuse look on his face.

"Kai, do you recognize this band?" Rei asked with a smile.

He closed his eyes to listen then opened his eyes wide with terror.

"What are you going to do about it?" Rei knew that might that he had forgotten again.

Kai was about to say something when Max walked in, "Hi Rei!... Kai, why are you here?"

Rei looked at the clock to see that it was nine thirty. It was an hour and thirty minutes into his shift by now. "I thought you were thinking about later within the day."

"I wanted us to get a head start."

" Where are you going? " Kai asked with curiosity.

" Max wanted to show me around the city. He believes that I don't know the city too well. "

" That's because when you left, I made the excuse that you might've gotten lost. "

" Oh, okay. At least now I know. Do you want me to stay a while? "

" If you had something plan, I don't want to keep you from it. I'm not sure what do to about the situation with my memories though. "

" Are you going to talk to Jade+By the way, we're going somewhere with her tomorrow at five A.M.+"

"+I remember that.+ And I am going to see her today. I'll tell her about it and ask her what I should do. I'll drop by later to let you know. "

" Okay. +See ya later.+"

"+Right+" Kai got up and walked to the door before turning around, "+Remember to eat something.+"

"I will, don't worry."

"Max, make sure of it." Then he left.

"What were you two talking about?" Max asked as he came over.

"Have you had breakfast yet?" Rei couldn't think of something quick to cover the fact that they didn't want others to know what they were talking about since they did make sure of it. "Jinochi, make him something if he hasn't. I have to talk to the boss about getting out early."

"Right." Rei went quickly to his boss. He sighed since he needs to keep a few things from the others. Especially since it seems that Kai doesn't want the others to know which is understandable. "Boss, a friend of mine is going to show me about the city."

"Is your friend here now?" He asked, though fully loving the music.

"He is."

He looked at the clock, "You can go within thirty minutes. If we're still open when you're done, come back to work. Otherwise, have fun at that thing tomorrow."

"Thank you very much. I'm sorry if I'm troubling you."

"You're no trouble at all. You're one the best cooks I had in a long time."

"Thank you." Rei bowed before going back to the front. "Max, we'll leave within thirty minutes." Rei noticed that Jinochi wasn't making anything, meaning that Max did have something this morning.

"Why?"

"That's what my boss said. Did you already have breakfast?"

"Yea. So, what were you two talking about?"

"It's nothing important." That's still all he could come up with, without Kai's help.

"Did you promise Kai that you wouldn't talk about it?" Rei couldn't read whether there was some emotion behind it or just curiosity.

"Yea. I have to ask him when I can reveal it. Sorry." Rei figured that it was save enough to tell him that.

"Okay." He smiled and started some other topic. Rei talked to him, since they were that busy. Once the thirty minutes were up, they hit the streets.

Max was showing him all the interesting places within the city. Rei finally learned what they were called and why they were there, so he really did look like he didn't know the city. Max started to realize that he really like the shrines and temples so he went to places like those more than the modern places.

"Wow, I didn't know that Japan had all these." Rei said as Max was coming back with their food. They were sitting at a park and there were many people walking around in the heat. They were sitting in the shade, since Max was worried about Rei's condition.

"Glad that you're enjoying yourself." Max really wanted to add 'without Kai with you', but he didn't. "Well, you better eat up."

"Right. Otherwise Kai is going to yell at me." Rei said with a smile.

"Why are you listening to him now, anyway?" Max tried to hide his hate, hoping that it worked.

"What do you mean by that?" Rei was about to take a bit of the burger but Max's words got to him.

"You weren't this close to him before."

"He's changed. He doesn't want to be alone anymore." Rei was wondering if he was the only one out of the team that could see that.

"But you're not hanging out with us anymore. It's either Kai or no one else." Max finished his since he was eating as Rei was talking.

"Come on, if that was the case then I wouldn't be here, would I? I'm still your friend. I'm just letting Kai know that we're still here for him."

"Are you saying that Kai is now a caring person?"

"He is. He might not show it all the time around you guys, but he is."

"You better hurry up and eat." Max didn't want to hear Kai's name anymore.

"Right." He started to eat, but was only able to eat one bit. He finally knew what Kai meant since he couldn't eat more than this before. Rei forced himself to eat it all, since he didn't want Max to know. He drank the water that Max got and forced that down too, since it stopped after one drink.

"See, you're fine. He's worried over nothing." Max said as they were walking.

"Yea." Rei started to feel something weird with him. He didn't know what it was, but it was small. Besides, he was going to stick this day out with Max, to make up whatever he needed to for neglecting the others.

Max took him to more places, particularly places where Beybattles were taking place. Rei was just watching, knowing that they were below them.

"We're too good for them now." Max said as they were watching two kids battle. "They don't even compete against us."

"You just now noticed this? I noticed it on the ship." Rei said, wondering if they can ever get back their passion.

"Really?"

"Yep. But at least they're having fun. It's good for them."

"Yea… I remember those days."

"Same here." Though Rei knew that it was a half lie. Sure, he had fun with his old teammates, but when he was younger it was all business. He only made it look enjoyable for himself and his childhood wants. "Anywhere else?" He didn't want to remember his younger years right now.

"Nah, this is it. Maybe next time I'll take you outside this city."

"Just don't take me to Kuramoto. I already have a guide around there."

"Hey, do you want dinner?"

"Sure." Rei smiled, though he knew it wouldn't be good for his stomach. It was started to feel weird.

"Great! I know this awesome place nearby, let's go!" He led Rei to a small restaurant and they both got something small. Rei got the same thing that Max had since he didn't want to appear that there is something wrong. Of course, he had to force the whole thing down since he couldn't really eat it.

"See ya tomorrow Rei." Max said as they hit their splitting point.

"Right." Rei smiled and walked away first since he could tell that Max was waiting for him to.

"I saw you hanging with some kid. Is that a friend of yours or something?" Ed asked when Max walked into his room.

"Did you find the person that you're looking for? And he is."

"Nah. So what's his name?"

"He's name is Rei."

"Does he have a Beyblade as well?"

"He's apart of my team. When did you see us together?"

"When you two were eating lunch, I figured it best that I didn't come over. What were you two talking about? You seemed a bit mad about it. Of course, if you don't want to tell me, it's none of my business."

Max realized why he didn't mind him so much. His eyes reminded him of Rei's, since they were a golden color, but not like Rei's eyes. "We were talking about another friend."

"Do you not like this other person?"

"Not really. I think he's trying to steal Rei away."

"But if you're all friends, how can he steal him away?"

"It's a bit complicated really to explain."

"Okay. Oh, your father said that you're going somewhere tomorrow. Do you know where?"

"That's right, I have to tell Tyson." Max picked up the phone and called him. He said that Kai came by to let him know. "Was Jade with him?"

"Yea, she was. I already called Kenny to let him know."

"Okay, see ya tomorrow then."

"Right buddy." He hung up. "Sorry, to answer your question, I don't know."

"That's okay. Well, I guess we better get to bed since you need to wake up early." Ed closed the book that he was reading and they went to bed.

Rei wasn't feeling well at all. He was on the borderline of being sick, but for now he'll just call himself ill. As he entered the area where he works and lives, he regained his composure incase Kai was around. He already knew that he didn't have to go to work since the sun was falling underneath the earth. The cooled air wasn't helping.

"There you are." Kai said as he came up to him. "You were out the whole day?"

"Yea, he explained the places. I knew them, but I didn't know what they were since I couldn't read them."

"Then I guess it was beneficial to you. Oh, I'm going over to Jade's place since I can't trust myself going home. I would say bring the CD, but your restaurant is closed."

"Don't worry; I'll bring your bag since Jinochi kept it."

"I forgot about that. Okay. Where is it right now?"

"In my apartment, I had him place it there when we went to the concert."

"So how do you feel?"

"I'm okay. Well, better get to sleep." Rei took one step and collapsed. He started to throw up all he ate and all he drank. Kai was making sure that he didn't fall into it and pulled him to the side when he was done.

"Are you all right?" Kai said as he handed him water. The house that he got it from was willing to clean it up for them. Kai could tell that Rei was really weak so he poured a bit of the water into his mouth. "Rei?"

"I'm… fine…" Kai felt his head and it was hot.

"You're burning up." Kai noticed that the people left and he didn't want to bother them. He noticed that they weren't too far from his apartment. "Can you move your arm?"

Rei tried with effort but it wasn't working. Kai pulled him on his back after wrapping part of his scarf around his head and wet the part that was over his forehead. He carried him all the way to his room, glad to know where it was. "I'm sorry." Rei said as he fell asleep on him.

Kai lay him down on his bed and wet a cloth to put on his forehead. He went to the other people, asking if they had a phone that he could borrow. Once he found one, he called Jade to tell her know that Rei has a fever so he's going to make sure that he's okay.

"Okay, I'll see you tomorrow. If you're not there by five, I'll send someone over to you to see check up on ya. So just come if he's well."

"Right. Love you."

"Love you too and tell Rei that I hope he gets well. Also make sure that he doesn't push himself to it."

"Right." She hung up and he thanked the people before returning to Rei.

His paleness was more evident now. This so reminded him when they were in Russia, with Rei unconscious. Kai felt like it was his fault that Rei was sick. He heard movement from Rei, so he looked over at him. He was blinking and had this confused look. "Are you okay, Rei?"

He looked over at him and blinked. He nodded his head.

"Just rest, you'll need your strength later."

He smiled before closing his eyes. After Kai wet the cloth again, he went to go take a shower.

Byakko smiled as he felt the cloth on his forehead. He knew that Rei was sick, but it was only Rei. Byakko noticed that when he took over, the body was fine. Rei's spirit was sleeping, still recovering from it so Byakko let him near the cloth so he could get well sooner. Though Byakko wasn't about to let him full control since he wanted to see Kai.

Rei was still sick when he woke up and took a shower, but he didn't want that to stop him.

"What caused it?" Kai asked when Rei was getting dressed.

"I ate too much."

"I knew it was my fault."

"Nah, it was me. I shouldn't have pushed it. I just didn't want Max to think there was something wrong with me."

"But I fueled it. What about drinking?"

"I think I might want to, but I have to do that slowly."

"That's fine. We don't want you to get sick again."

"Jade does know, right?" He was finished and had his other bag ready. Kai noticed that he didn't have the white piece on him, revealing the Bit Beast of their team, the White Tiger's and Jade and Krypton's on the back of his blue tank top.

"Yea. Are you sure you're up for it?"

"Yea, I don't want you to feel like you have to stay for my sake."

"Then you better make it into your vacation." Kai picked up his bag and they headed out. Rei was still dizzy and quickly grabbed Kai's shoulder to keep himself from falling. "Lean on me for a while."

"I'm really sorry about this." Rei said as they walked down, with Rei holding on his shoulder. The sun was still down and there was no moon so Kai couldn't tell the time.

"Don't worry about it. I'm glad that I can help. Don't ever say sorry for something that you can't control."

"Okay Kai... Kai, could you stop for a minute?"

Kai stopped and Rei rested his head on his hand that was on Kai's shoulder. "I was getting dizzy again."

"Let me know when you're feeling better. Rest for as long as you need. Jade will send someone over if we're not there in time."

"Okay… Man, I still feel sick."

"Maybe you shouldn't come."

"Nah, I don't want to feel like I have to go to work… I probably would too…"

"Okay. Are you sure you don't want me to carry you?"

"You've done enough of that."

"Do you remember waking up during the night?"

"No… Why?"

"Because you looked like you were getting better."

"… It must've been the darkness. Okay, let's go."

They started to walk again but Kai was going slow. That was helping Rei, it seemed. They go to the meeting spot and no one was there. Rei was taking a nap since he felt sick again. But he was leaning his back against Kai's shoulder, since Kai was also taking a nap since he hadn't slept.

Kai felt something poking his face. He opened his eyes to see Jade smiling at him. "Everyone is here."

Kai looked around to see Tyson, Kenny and Max there. Max seemed to be hiding something, but Kai didn't really care. He looked over at Rei to see that he was still sleeping.

"Should we wake him?" Max asked.

"Is the bus here?" Kai asked Jade, since she told him what they were doing yesterday.

"Yea, that's why I woke you up."

He picked up Rei with his arm over his shoulders, "Someone get our bags and I'll get him into the bus." Kai started to walk, leaving no time for someone to complain if they were planning to.

Max got their bags and Kai sat Rei down near the window. He felt his forehead and noticed that it was hot so he let his head rest against the window since it was cold.

"I'll watch him." Max said before Kai could even debate it in his own head.

"All right." Kai grabbed his bag from him and walked to where Jade was sitting, which was near the front.

"Are you sure it's okay for him to come?" Jade asked as Kai got comfort.

"Not really, but he wouldn't be able to rest properly if he stayed, according to him. This is going to be his vacation."

"Okay. Sleep well." Kai lay his head on her shoulder and fell asleep. It was going to be a long ride.

"Wow! This place is awesome!" Tyson said as they took in the view. Rei and Kai were up and Rei was feeling a lot better.

"What are we going to be doing here?" Kenny asked.

"Not only are we staying here for a few days, but I want you guys to try something new. It's the first step to get the level that Krypton and I are."

"Really? You're going to teach us the secret?" Tyson was really excited.

"Don't give it too much hope. I'm betting that Kenny has to get you guys new blades before you can even get this far. But who knows, I might be wrong."

"But I thought we weren't going to do any training." Max said.

"Rei is recovering and watching. Krypton said that he'll get him caught up once he's done healing."

"Thanks." Rei was wondering if Kai had told her that he's weak physically. "Well, I might as well see what I have to cook with around here. Is there a place to send letters?"

"There's a small town south from here where you can do that."

"Okay." Rei walked inside, dragging his bag with him since he still can't lift it. They had a good amount of food here, so Rei knew that he could make something good before going into town. The utensils were in good condition and everything was clean. Rei realized with a laugh that as he looked around, he was acting like a maid.

"What's funny?" Max asked as they all came in.

"Nothing really. So how many rooms are there?"

"Five." She smiled. "This whole place is ours so we can trash it all we want."

"Okay." Rei looked at the time. "Do you guys want lunch?"

"Yeah!" Tyson said and Rei started to cook. The others were picking the rooms, with Rei picking the last one left. Rei opened the window when there was a break within his cooking. It was right now peaceful, just the way he always like it. He was thinking that he should see what's in town if the others are going to train right a way.

"This is great, Rei!" Tyson said as they were eating.

"Yeah." Max agreed.

"Do we have enough food? Because we could always go into town and see what they have." Jade said, obviously saying that she knows about his lack of strength.

"Are you guys going to train today?"

"Yea, do you want us to wait for you?"

"Nah, I'll watch when I come back."

"We'll clean up." Kai said, letting him know that he can leave now.

"Okay." Rei did have the same amount on his plate as the others, but he didn't touch it. Jade wrapped it up and placed it in the freezer.

"Why did you worry about Rei eating? He was fine yesterday." Max said.

"He… he didn't want you to think that there was something wrong with him… Of course, I think that I fueled it."

"Did something happen?" Max was really worried, everyone else was worried.

"He got sick and he felt dizzy."

"Then why are you making him come on this? He should be resting."

"He said that he would feel like going to work if he didn't come. At least he can be in a place where we can make sure he doesn't strain himself."

"Shouldn't Rei know how to take care of himself? I mean, he has been traveling for a while, not to mention that he lived in a village for most of his life." Tyson said, "We shouldn't need to watch him."

"Are you forgetting so easily? All this happened because he was tortured in Russia." Max said.

"He just need reminders, we're not babysitting him." Kai said, which ended that topic.

Rei liked the village that they were in, since it reminded him of Yoma's town. He found where the mailing post was so he could send letters to Lee. He located all the stores that they would need, though it wasn't really a lot since they didn't need that much.

Rei wrote a letter to Lee, letting him know about what's been going on. He told him not to send any letters back since he doesn't know the address of the cabin they're staying in. He told him about his condition, just so they know his status. He also told him about the time in Russia, if Wu had never told them. He had it sent to them, glad to know that they would do it with a low cost. He was so glad that he got all the money from working with him so he didn't ask the others for some, knowing that they most likely didn't bring any.

He walked back up the hill. He hadn't eaten or drank anything since he couldn't stomach it. He was feeling a lot better. When he got to the cabin, they left him a note. It was written by Tyson, but Kai re-wrote it in Kanji behind it. He was able to figure out that they were in the woods, so he went there. He heard Beyblades clashing so he knew that he was right.

"So how's the town?" Kenny asked when he noticed him.

"Before you answer that, tell us which one you were able to read." Tyson said.

"What do you mean?"

"The note, which writing were you able to read?"

"I was able to figure out the one in kanji. I can't read Katakana or Hiragana."

"Darn."

"What made you think I could?"

"We thought that since you lived here for a while you knew how to write." Jade said.

"I did write the note to you guys in Chinese."

"Yea, well we thought that you just wrote it down in a hurry."

"I thought I told you guys when that note came from Kaiba-san that I couldn't read it."

"No, you didn't." Max said.

"Oh… sorry. Yea, I can't read it."

"What about English words?"

"Nope. I came from an isolated village. All I had interest in was learning other cultures and languages. Nothing else."

"Anyway, they're warming up. You can do whatever you want." Jade said.

Rei went up into a tree that was nearby. Byakko was wondering if he could come out, and Rei made him promise that he would just watch the others. Rei was then taking a nap as Byakko was watching Kai. He didn't even know that there were others there. When he noticed that Kai was done with his practice, he allowed Rei control again.

"Rei, you might want to watch this." Rei heard Jade say. He looked over at them, before shaking his head. He was surprised that when Byakko was in control, he was able to sleep better.

"Do I need to come down there?"

"Not really. Just needed to make sure that you're up.

"Okay."

"What you need to do is send more energy into your Beyblades. The more energy you send, the more power it has."

"We already knew that." Tyson said.

"But you haven't been sending enough."

"I have a question. If these are steps to reach your level, why is it that we can come close to beating you?"

"Because I'm putting a limit as to what I give. If I didn't care about you guys, your blades wouldn't be here."

"Wow… I guess you were right, Rei." Tyson looked at him.

They were sending a lot of energy all day. They were all really weak when the sun was gone from the sky. Rei was serving their food to them.

"We have to try this tomorrow. I think you guys were really close to getting it." Jade said when she came out with hers.

"Shouldn't they rest first?" Kenny asked.

"They're going to bed, aren't they?"

They were talking outside as they were eating. It didn't take them long to gain back enough strength for them to move. Rei discovered that his room was dark. He turned on the light, but it wasn't working.

"Jade?" Rei noticed the panic in his voice, hoping that Jade didn't.

"Yea?" She walked up to him.

"Why doesn't the light work?"

"Some of the switches aren't connected."

"Oh, just wondering." He closed the door and opened the curtains. There was no moon out. He went over to the lamp that was there, but found him quickly turning it off. He backed himself to the wall parallel to the one that had the bed. He fell down it, curling up into a ball.

"Rei just asked something very weird." Jade said as she walked in.

"What is it?" Kai was already in his night clothes when she came in.

"He asked why the lights weren't working."

"All the others were working fine."

"I was told that one or two rooms wouldn't have lights since the wiring was bad."

"How did he look?"

"He looked curious. He should be fine, there's a lamp in those rooms."

Kai thought he should check on him later when Jade was asleep, knowing that Rei doesn't like to admit to something that he believes the others don't need to know.

When it was midnight, they had a clock in each room, Kai got up and walked around the place. It was a bit cold, though it wasn't freezing. The place was really dark. He allowed his eyes to adjust before knocking on Rei's door. He didn't hear an answer so he opened it quietly and walked in. He didn't close the door since some light was shining in the room through there.

Kai didn't see him in the bed but at the wall. Kai couldn't tell if he was able to see him or not, "Rei?" Kai took a step over to him.

Kai dodged a ninja knife that was thrown at him, ":Don't come near me.:" He was speaking hallow again, just like with Mr. Dickenson. Kai knew that was a warning, since he knew that Rei could've done much better.

"Rei, I'm not here to hurt you."

":You would be the first.:"

"I'm speaking Japanese and I can understand your native language. Could the others do that? I'm Kai. You have to remember my voice."

"…:Kai:…+I'm sorry.+" He lowered his head.

"It's okay Rei. Why are you here? If you need light, turn on the lamp."

"NO!" Rei said as Kai turned it on. Kai saw his pure fear and terror in his eyes. It's also when he noticed his arms.

"Rei, what were you doing to your arms?" They were cuts all over them, dripping blood onto the floor.

Rei turned off the light. "Please… never turn on the light in here." Kai was kind of shocked to hear Rei plead and beg. "Promise me you won't do it again." Now there was fear.

"Okay Rei, I won't. Let's get you out of here." Kai led him by pushing his shoulder. He turned on the bathroom's lights and he saw the full extend of the cuts. They were all over his arms, but they didn't seem that deep. Rei seemed absentminded of it all, focusing on nothing, thinking about nothing.

"Rei, why don't you want the light on?" Kai was washing the blood off. He would have to look for a first aid kit later.

"I don't want them to see me." Kai noticed that the bleeding had stopped on both arms.

"Them?"

"They're different… but they all want the same."

Kai knew that he couldn't leave him. He looked around to see if there was something in here that he could use, but he didn't find anything. "Why were you cutting yourself?"

"… I don't know."

"What did they want?"

"… Something I have… but I don't know what that is."

"Rei, do you want to come with me? Or will you be fine staying here?"

"Where are you going?" There was a bit of fear in his voice.

"I'm going to find some bandages for your arms. You don't have to stay here."

"… I'll help look."

"Okay." They went looked around, not finding any. Rei started to make something that Bastetka taught him and it had to do with honey. Once done, Kai was storing it in a jar that was lying around. Once they got as much as they could, Kai was applying it on his arms. "Rei, I'm going to wake Jade."

"… Why?"

"I at least want her to know that I'm up. Do you want me to stay with you? Or do you want both?"

"…I don't know… I just don't want to be alone… I can't trust myself…"

Kai rinsed out the pot they were using. "Come with me."

They walked to Kai and Jade's room. She was still sleeping peacefully, "I'll wait outside."

"You'll wait here. Don't worry. She understands." Rei stood where he was as Kai went over to Jade. "Jade."

She looked up at him, "Why are you up?"

"I was checking up on Rei."

She turned around to see him standing there. He wasn't looking at anything, but she saw the cuts on his arms. She got up and hugged him, "Why?"

"I don't know… I really don't know…" He buried his head in her shoulder.

"It's okay, Rei. We'll help you."

"Could…"

"Of course." Kai answered before he even finished. Jade led him to the bed and he got in. Jade was stroking his face as he closed his eyes.

"Jade, you'll make a good mother." Then he was out.

"Poor guy, what happened to him?" Jade looked at Kai who was now standing next to her.

"He was curled near the wall. He didn't want the lights on since he doesn't want people to find him. He thought that I was one of those people."

"Why doesn't he want them to find him?"

"He said that they wanted something from him, but he doesn't know what that it."

She looked at him again, "He can't be alone for a long while. We have to ask him if he wants to stay in our room or one of the others."

"I think he might need some female caring a lot more than one of us caring for him."

"Okay, you guys protect him and I heal him. What do we say about the cuts?"

"We'll see what Rei wants to say about them.

"Okay. I'll stay with him until he wakes up."

"That sounds good to me." He kissed her forehead and sat down behind her. He rested his head on her shoulder, "You can be very comfortable."

"Glad to be so. Are you tried?"

"A little."

"You should sleep then."

Kai started to take a nap on her shoulder, having his arms wrapped around her.

"Why are you making breakfast?" Max asked when he noticed who was in the kitchen. No one else was up.

"If you don't trust me, you could ways not eat." Kai said coldly, "I might not be as good as Rei but I know how to cook."

"Where is Rei?"

"… He's sleeping."

"Oh… Well, maybe he's still interested in cooking. I'll go ask."

"NO!" Kai was in his way. They didn't clean his room, knowing that there were some spots of blood there. He at least cleaned the bathroom so no one else knows.

"What's your problem?" Max didn't want to show his anger, but he was hinting it.

"I just remember he wanted to talk to Jade about something. So he's not there." Of course, that totally contradicted what he said earlier.

"Then why did you say that he was sleeping?"

"I didn't get much sleep. Mountain air does that to me for a few nights." He was laughing internally since he doesn't really need to explain himself to anyone else, yet he is. "Anyway, they'll be back so just wait for them." He walked back to the pots he was using.

Rei lifted his eyes to see that he was lying on a bed.

"Good, you're awake. How do you feel?"

Rei looked up to see Jade smiling at him, "Better… I'm not well at all."

"It's okay. Whatever happened to you was really bad. You need to heal slowly."

"Who's cooking?" He closed his eyes.

"Kai is. I wonder how it's going."

"I'm sure he'll do fine. Jade… I don't think I can stay in that room."

"Kai and I already know that and we're not going to put you back there. Plus, we have to make sure that you don't go nuts again. Do you care who is with you as you sleep?"

"How did Kai know to check up on me?"

"It might've been the question that you asked me."

"I'm glad that he did… You can go if you want. I'm just going to sleep some more."

"Kai's going to bring in some food. What do you want us to tell everyone else?"

"… I don't want them to think there's something wrong with me."

"We'll tell them that you were trying to practice with Driger, okay?"

"That's good. I'm fine. Really."

"I'll go when someone else is watching you."

"… You would make a really good mother."

"Thanks. I hope I can become one."

"You will…" He fell asleep again.

"How is he?" Kai asked as he was bringing Jade's food to her. The others weren't really into his cooking, so he just left them.

"He woke up not too long ago. He doesn't want the others to know that he went insane last night." She took the food and was eating. "I'm really worried about him. If something like a room can bring back a horrible feeling, we don't know what else could."

"We'll learn. If you want to give them the load down on today's schedule, you can go. I'll watch him."

"Okay. Oh, Driger did that to his arm."

"Right."

She got up and went to the others.

"Where's Rei?" Max asked. They were also cleaning up everything since Kai got mad at them.

"… Did you anger Kai? He's cooking isn't bad." Jade gave her plate to Tyson.

"Hey, I'll eat anything that's eatable. Max was the one that was angering him and he took it out on all of us."

"He had a rough time. He wanted to see if he could handle Driger, since he hasn't been eating, and he got hurt. He's fine but his arms were cut multiple times."

"Is he alright?" Kenny asked.

"Yea, he's resting in our room right now."

"He shouldn't push himself." Tyson said. He was now drying his hands.

"Anyway, I'm not sure how long it will take for his arms to heal so you guys will either have to make your own meals or allow Kai to cook. I can't cook to save my life so don't come crawling to me."

"Okay." Max said.

Rei opened his eyes again, but he didn't feel someone sitting on the bed next to him so he knew that Jade wasn't watching over him. He found himself able to move his hand. He looked down at his cuts, remembering what happened to Wu. He didn't want to sleep anymore, but he didn't trust himself getting up.

"You should sleep if you're tired." Rei looked over at Kai, who was sitting in a chair that was close to the bed.

"How did breakfast go?"

"They got me mad so I had them clean the dishes."

"I want to get up though."

"Do you need help?"

"… I just don't trust myself."

"I'll stop you before you do something more to yourself."

"Thanks Kai… And thanks for last night."

"We're friends, right? That's what you said friends do for each other."

"I know, but I can still say thanks." Rei smiled a tired happy.

"Do you want me to help you up?"

"I'll see if I can get up myself." Rei lifted himself up, finding weakness in his arms. At the moment Rei tried to hide it, Kai was helping him. Rei was able to get the rest of the way up. His arms were still a little weak. "I better go see the others now." He walked to the door, "Where did you place the honey that we made?"

"It's in the freezer."

"Okay, I'll apply some a little later." He opened the door and walked out. Kai followed after a while.

"Rei, are you okay?" Max said as he got up from the couch.

"Yea, just need more time than I want to accept." Rei smiled.

"You shouldn't push yourself. You could really hurt yourself." Tyson said.

"Right, I'll keep that in mind. So what are you guys going to do today?"

"We're going to practice around noon." Jade said.

Rei looked over at the clock. It said that it was early eight, "I'll be outside." Rei grabbed pencil and paper and went out.

"I wonder why he grabbed those." Kenny said.

"He's probably writing a letter." Jade offered.

Rei was telling Lee what happened. He was really wishing that he was over there, since he was unstable within the mind. He couldn't control himself, he could feel it. He didn't know why either, but figured it had to do with the time in Russia. He explained about what Jade was telling them yesterday. He figured that they should get some training in since they're becoming stronger under her wing.

When he was done, he went back inside. "Could someone go to town and mail this letter for me?"

"I will. We might as well get some first aid kit supplies as well." Kenny said.

"Thanks. Well, I'm going to take a look around here before training begins. Is that okay?" He looked at Jade and Kai.

Jade looked at Kai, "Yea."

"Okay." He walked back outside again.

"Why was he asking for permission to go outside?" Max was now really hiding his anger.

"We have to make sure that he doesn't hurt himself. Anyway, you guys can do whatever you want until noon." She got up and she and Kai went outside.

"I'm going to get some more food." Tyson said, walking over to the fridge.

"I'll go see what's around here too." Max said, walking outside before one of them said something. He avoided Jade and Kai, making sure that they didn't stop him.

Rei loved the clean air, the closeness to nature. He could stay within this forest for hours. He found a clearing that would be perfect to sit back and relax. He laid there for a few minutes, making sure that it was perfect. When he reached a lake, he dipped his arms into the clear water. It stung, but it didn't really hurt too badly.

He ducked his head into the water, waking him up to this reality. He lay there, feeling the sun heading his face.

Once Kai was finished helping Jade set up the stadiums for their next round of training, he went searching for Rei and Max since it was nearing noon. Kenny had brought food that didn't really need to be cooked so they were going to make lunch.

Max finally found Rei. He was lying on the ground near a lake. Max was about to go over to him when he got up and looked at his arms. Max was hoping that Driger gave him those, but he couldn't be sure. He started to walk into the lake, but Max couldn't figure out why. He noticed that the lake was deep near the center and that it was a pretty big lake.

When Max finally realized that Rei wasn't going to swim in the lake but drown, Kai jumped in after him. Kai reached him and was pulling him back, making sure that he's head never went under the water.

"Rei, what the hell were you thinking?" Kai yelled when he got Rei standing straight. He was wet and he was looking down.

"I was pulled towards the water."

"What were you trying to do?" Kai asked softly.

"… I… I don't feel like living anymore…"

Kai was shock to hear that. Rei rested his head on his shoulder. "Kai, I want to die."

"Do you know why?" He placed his hand on his shoulder.

"I don't… but I don't want to live either."

"You still have so much to look forward to. You have your village, your friends, Wu, Yoma. Don't you want to live for them?"

"I do."

"Then please Rei, keep on wanting to live. This will pass."

"Okay Kai." Rei closed his eyes. Kai just stood there; he needed to make sure that Rei was okay before he looked for Max.

Max walked back into the woods, he couldn't hear what they said, but he was now worried that his fear was coming true.

"Max, are you okay?" Max turned around, surprised to see Ed there.

"What are you doing here?"

"I'm sorry. Your father asked if I could watch you."

"Why?"

"He said that he was worried about something. Is there something wrong that you want to talk about?"

Max was debating about whether or not to tell him.

"It has to deal with that friend of yours, right?"

"How did you know?"

"I wasn't spying the last time, but I did notice how you were acting. I don't think he's reading your signs."

"You think so?"

"Yea, do you know if he's okay with it?"

"Not really…"

"Well, I can't really help you too much. Love wasn't really big with me when I was growing up."

"Please, don't tell dad."

"Let me tell you something. There's something that I call equitant exchange. That's why you have to keep this secret." He took off his right glove to reveal that it was metal. "My right arm is made of chain mail. I'm able to move it with my nerves, like it was my actual arm."

Max stared at it with amazement, "Where did you get that?"

"I'll tell you that story later."

"Why do you believe in equitant exchange?"

"It was something that I was taught when I was really young."

"Oh… What are you going to do now?"

"Well, I can tell that you're interested in him so I'm gonna help ya."

"Thanks… but why?"

"You remind me of my younger brother. He meant the world to me. Everything I did was to make sure that he got his wish."

"I see, if you help me, it would be like you're helping your brother."

"Equitant exchange." Ed smiled.

"What's your full name?"

"Edward Elric."

"Max Tate."

"So, are you going to allow me to help?"

"I'm willing to try anything."

Kai noticed that Rei started to purr again. He was about to push him off his shoulder but he wrapped his arms around him and held tightly. "What are you doing, inner beast?" He froze before Rei dashed off. He figured that he should follow him, not knowing if it was Rei or the beast.

Rei couldn't believe that Byakko did that, and he wasn't even sorry that he did. He didn't even notice that he ran back to the cabin.

"Glad to see that you're okay. Where are Kai and Max?" Jade asked.

"I didn't find Max but I'll go looking for him." Kai said when he came. Rei didn't look at him, though Kai still couldn't tell if Rei was back or not.

"No need to search for me. I'm here." Max said with a smile.

"Good. Max, you're going to pair off with Kenny and Tyson is going to be your partner, Kai." Jade said.

They got into position. Rei was leaning against the tree that he went into last time. He was watching them, wondering why she wanted Tyson and Kai to work together.

"Okay, as you're battling, I'm going to coach you through it."

"Coach us through what?" Tyson asked.

"You'll see. Okay, ready? Three, two, one, Let it Rip!"

They pulled back on their rip cords. Rei looked at his scars, knowing it would be a while before he could do that again.

"Kenny, Max, you two have to figure out a way to get their energy low. Kai, Tyson, you have to figure out how to get rid of their defensive tactic." Jade said.

"Kenny doesn't really have a defensive tactic." Tyson said.

"As you're figuring that out, you must then work as a team to beat the other. This isn't an individual match."

"Right."

Max was luring Kai's blade, but Kai knew that there are weaknesses to his blade. Kai would've finished off Max right there, but Jade said that this was team battle. He quickly analyzed Kenny's strength and Tyson's strength. "Tyson follow my lead."

"Right behind ya."

Kai was making Dranzer spin faster and faster, increasing the speed. Dragoon was following close behind.

"That's the same movements as Krypton and Jade's style." Kenny said.

"But there's a twist to ours." Kai said, looking at Tyson. Tyson looked at the battlefield and then smiled.

"Right, I got'cha. Go Dragoon!" Dragoon moved to the right of Dranzer, seeming to get in the lead to act as the windbreaker. But Dranzer knocked Dragoon into a flip, where he landed on top of Kenny's bouncing blade. At that same moment, Dranzer used the force it got from Dragoon to launch at Draciel.

Both blades were sent flying out of the dish. Kai and Tyson caught their blades.

"That was great teamwork. I knew that you two would make a great team." Jade said.

"You did?" Tyson looked at her.

"Ever since you two fought us, I was wondering if you two could work together. Now I know you can and you should do it more often. Two strong bladers like yourselves would be unbeatable."

"Excluding you and Krypton, right?" Kai asked.

"Of course, we'll never allow our pupils to surpass us."

"Jade, does that mean when Rei is healed, we'll be teaming up?" Max asked.

"Yea. I think it would be interesting to see you two working together. What do you think, Rei?"

"Yea, we might be able to beat Kai and Tyson if we do." Rei said as he was getting up.

"I doubt it, Rei." Tyson said.

"Face it; we're stronger than both of you." Kai said with a smile.

"Is that a challenge I hear?" Rei asked.

"We can take whatever you throw at us. Right, Rei?"

"Yea. When I'm healed, you'll be eating our dust."

"Great, then it's a match." Jade said.

"Kai, were you trying the trick that you used against Dmitriy?" Kenny asked.

"If you mean that flip, a little."

"How could you do a flip like that during that match?" Rei asked.

"Oh, the dish had this part that was curved and Kai used that to launch Dranzer into a flip." Kenny was replaying for Rei to see.

"Wow, I'm impress. You were able to see that?" Rei looked at him.

"Of course."

"Impressive, I guess that we need to be clever as well."

"Jade, do we have any other training to do?" Max asked.

"Nah, this is all I wanted you guys to get the feel for. Wait… Never mind, there is one more thing but we'll do it tomorrow."

"Rei, do you want to go into town with me?"

"Sure." Rei didn't really want to stay around here too much. "Hey, when we get back, there's a place we can visit to have dinner."

"Sounds good to me. Who's cooking?" Tyson asked.

"We'll decide that when we get back."

Max and Rei walked into town. Rei didn't really care for the reason, but was glad that he could get away for a bit. Rei is noticing that around Kai, Byakko wants to come out more and more.

Max was following Ed's instructions. The first was to beat Kai in a Beybattle, but that didn't work. The next step was to show him that he is interested in knowing more about him. Ed had told him a place in town where they could talk. It was at the edge where a huge tree is. Max noticed that Ed was nearby, meaning that the tree was too.

Max sat down on the side that faced away from the town and Rei followed his lead.

"Is there something troubling you?" Rei asked after a moment of silence.

"What makes you think that there's something wrong?"

"People don't normally go this far from friends unless they have something weighing on their minds. And since it's not close enough to a beautiful point of the day, I knew that it couldn't be that."

"Maybe there's beauty that you can't see that's right here."

"Hm?" Rei looked around, wondering what Max was talking about. "Do you want me to figure it out?"

"Yea." Max rested his head on his knees.

Rei started to look at everything very carefully, wanting to know what was here that he wasn't seeing. Max smiled to himself, seeing him look for something that's right there. "Rei, why did you leave to go with Mr. Dickenson?"

"Uh?" He looked at him, "Why are you interested in knowing?"

"Just curious."

"Well… he thought that I would be a good addition to any team that he created. He wanted someone who could rival Kaiba-san's team."

"That's right; you were saying that Mr. Dickenson was planning something. Have you been able to figure it out?" Max didn't really believe this part, but since Rei stopped talking about it and Kai went to talk to him after he went to the roof, he figured that it was really important to Rei.

"I'm not really sure what it is but I know that there's something not right about his motives."

"Could you give me why you think that?"

"That party that he gave us is the first big one."

"Why?"

"We should've gotten that when we won the World Championship."

"But the Yami Hunters were our greatest rival. He probably thought that we deserve it since we're showing that we're stronger."

"That's the point. Of course we're getting stronger, but what about all the sacrifices we made to make sure that the Demolition Boys didn't win." Rei leaned back onto the tree. "We celebrated our own victory separately."

"You're wishing that he gave that at the World Championship?"

"… I don't really care."

"Rei, if there's something troubling you, you can always tell me. I'm your friend too."

"… Thanks Max. That really does mean something to me. Well, another thing is that he was so worried that if we lost, there was no hope for humanity. Yet he had Jade and Krypton waiting in the shadows to train us." Rei just realized why Mr. Dickenson believed they were the only ones that could stand a chance against them, but he didn't understand how he knew about it. Even he had forgotten about it, since he hasn't thought about it for so long now.

"Maybe he knew that our Bit Beast were the only ones powerful enough to match theirs."

"Then there's the Yami Hunters. We barely won against them."

"He probably didn't know about the Yami Hunters."

"He knew… You know, maybe I'm reading into this way too much. After all, it was Kaiba-san that made me think of this. Maybe he was trying to trick me into believing that Mr. Dickenson isn't the hero."

"That could be it. Mr. D did warn us that we have to be very careful of his words since now that he lost he might try to win us over."

"We better head back." Rei got up, "Sorry, I guess I still need some peace in my mind. I couldn't see it." He walked off.

"Rei," Rei stopped but he didn't turn around, "I believe in you."

"Sure you do." He just kept on walking.

"What happened?" Ed asked once Rei was out of sight.

"Rei thinks that I don't believe him when he believes that our sponsor is up to something that isn't good."

"Let me guess, you think that he's seeing something that isn't really there but he firmly believes in it."

"Yea."

"I guess we have to move on to plan C."

"We have a plan C?"

"Yep, how long are you guys going to stay here?"

"Until tomorrow, I think."

"Perfect. I'll tell you plan C tonight."

"Right."

"You better catch up to him and just talk about something other than that."

"Okay, see ya." Max ran off to catch up to Rei.

Rei thought that Max came around, that he had finally seen what he and Kai had seen. They can't believe in Mr. Dickenson. Rei knows more reasons that they can't trust him, but only he knows them. He wondered if he has gotten Max to do something for him, to keep the others in line. Or was he really blind by his first actions to see that they were a facade.

"Rei!" Rei didn't stop when he heard his voice.

"Look, I'm sorry that you think that I'm not on your side. I really am."

"Why do you think he's so trusting?" Rei would be able to tell if Mr. Dickenson had him in some kind of hold, like he does on him.

"My dad knows him and my mom. I don't think that they would be friends if he couldn't be trusted."

"You can have a different opinion of someone then your parents. There has to be more to it than that. I mean before he created this team."

"He helped out my mother with the research for finding a way to maximize the effectiveness of analyzing the data from the Bit Beast. He was the one that made her gather all that data to make sure that the Allstarz were perfect. He helped my dad get good deals on parts that he could sale in his shop when we were in America."

"And Boris gave kids a home."

"How did you meet Mr. Dickenson?" Max remembered what Ed said about equitant exchange.

"I met him when I was in Hong Kong."

"And why did you follow him at that time?"

Rei looked at him; he could tell that he was serious about knowing. "He wanted me on a team that would help save the world."

"Maybe he's just doing what he needs to do in order to save the world."

"Anyway, it's not really important." They reached the others.

"Okay, who's cooking? I can try to help if you need it." Tyson said when they walked into the cabin.

"Can I see if I can cook? I mean, after this I am going back to work."

"Have you applied that honey thing on your arms yet?" Kai asked.

"Oh… Oops." Rei said with a smile.

"Kai and Rei will cook then." Jade said.

Kai got up from the couch and walked over to the kitchen. Rei went over as well. Max really thought that Kai was smiling inside, though he couldn't really tell and that was getting him mad.

"Once you get that honey on you, you can help out." Kai said, grabbing some ingredients from the fridge.

"What are you going to make?" Rei was rubbing it onto his skin, glad that it wasn't stinging him.

"The soup that I helped make at Yoma's house."

"Oh, cool." He was working on the other arm.

"Were you feeling okay when you were with Max?"

"Meaning?"

"At the lake…"

"I wasn't feeling like that. It didn't resurface."

"Good."

"…Did you tell Jade?"

"I couldn't. Tyson and Kenny were around."

"Oh…"

"Just remember, you have things and people that need you."

"Thanks. It seems like you keep on saving me from myself."

"You just haven't recovered fully yet. But even when you do… I'll be there to help you."

"Thanks Kai. I'll get through this. I promise."

"Remember, you're not in a rush to get better."

"Right." He placed the jar back into the fridge. "I'll allow the honey to dry a bit before I start cooking."

"Okay." Kai was waiting for the water to boil since he already had everything else ready.

"What else can we make?"

"You know the spot, what do you think?"

"Hm?" Rei went looking around to see what else he could use to create something with. He already decided what he wanted to make for breakfast but he couldn't decide what he wanted for tomorrow's lunch. "I'm not sure what to make for tomorrow."

"We don't need tomorrow."

"Jinochi told me that went you're cooking out in the woods you have to know what you're making the next day so you can make something different today."

"Before you blanked out, did you see any fish in that lake?"

"I did and they were all small. Why?"

"Yoma's mother made the snacks with fish. I remembered how Yoma got them and I thought that you could to the same, since you're training to be a ninja and all."

"Hm? Well… I can't be there by myself."

"You won't be. All you need is a thin, sharp metal piece to harpoon the fish and a thin string or wire."

"Okay, I'll see if I have something to make it. Ask Jade if we're leaving before or after lunch?"

Kai walked over to where everyone was watching the news. Jade insisted that they keep up with the news, since it's important for them to know what's going on within the world. Tyson was already sleeping when Kai walked up to them. "When are we leaving?"

"Tomorrow before noon. Why?"

"Rei wanted to know." Kai walked back. "Before."

"Then that would make a good traveling snack. Okay, so I'll make…" He couldn't lift the carton of eggs without it hurting him.

"Rei?"

"I guess you have to cook it. I can't lift anything." Rei looked at his cuts close to his hands. Most ran across veins and he was almost very close to the spot that would've caused a massive blood lost.

"Tell me how to make it and I'll make it." Kai picked up the egg carton and placed it on the table.

"Are you sure?"

"I am a pretty good cook."

"Okay." Rei started to tell him how to make the other dishes they were going to have. Rei was impressed that he was able to keep all the instructions in his head as he was moving about to make sure that everything was okay. Kai also had to pack everything since they were going to a site to eat dinner.

Rei was leading them to the site as everyone else was carrying something. Rei felt really bad since he couldn't help them, but none seem to complain. They got to the open field and set up to eat.

"Wow, you're a good cook Kai." Rei said. Out of respect, Rei was eating just bits of everything. The only thing that he was about to finish off was the soup. "I don't understand why you guys didn't like his cooking this morning."

"It wasn't everyone." Tyson said between bits.

"Didn't you cook some of it?" Max asked.

"I couldn't since I can't lift anything." He was even having some difficulty lifting the food.

"Oh…"

"Wow! The sky is beautiful here." Jade said, looking up at the sky.

Everyone followed her glaze to see a really interesting display of the light reflecting off the clouds.

"It might be a good night for stargazing." Kai said.

"You like that kind of stuff?" Kenny asked.

"Just stating it." Rei lay back down once he was done eating. He was looking up at the sky, liking the feel of it all. It was kind of feeling like home.

It was early into the night, "We should start heading back." Kenny said.

"C'mon Kenny, you're not home right now. You can stay up here." Jade said, curled up in Kai's arms.

"It's getting cold though."

"It's not that cold."

"Do you think we should get something for Rei?" Max asked.

"If he feels cold, but otherwise don't worry about it."

Max was about to touch his skin, but he started to shake. But it wasn't normal shaking, it was like he was bond to something and he was trying to escape. Kai was watching carefully, remembering how he was chained for most of the time. He was remembering his time there, some horrible moment. Kai thought that it was the people that he feared.

"Rei?" Max touched him lightly on his chest. Kai was too far away to stop him. Rei widen his eyes and froze with terror.

Kai moved over to him, "Rei, you're not in Russia. You're safe now."

It wasn't working. He wasn't out of it. Kai didn't know any other way of getting him out.

"What's happening to him?" Max asked with fear in his voice.

"We have to get him out of it. Rei, we're not them. We're speaking Japanese. We're not going to hurt you."

Tears were coming down, ":Are you sure? How can I trust you:"

"Because we're your friends. We'll keep you safe. They'll never come after you again."

":I have friends:"

"Of course you do. You're with them right now."

Rei was reaching his hand towards Kai slowly, like afraid that it was all a dream in his nightmare. He took it in his right hand. That snapped Rei back to himself. He got up and started running.

"Rei!" Max was about to go after him but Kai stopped him. "Let me go Kai! He needs help!"

"Let him get this out of his system." Kai really wanted to after him, but no one else noticed Jade going after him. Rei just needed someone there, and Jade seemed best to get him to relax.

Rei tripped over something and fell down. He gripped the grass, ashamed of how he showed his emotion. How could he show his fear with the others watching? He was stronger than that. It was okay around Jade and Kai because they understand why. But they didn't.

"Rei!" He heard Jade call his name. He tried getting up, but it wasn't working. "Rei, are you okay?" She was right beside him.

"You shouldn't be here. I'm fine. Go back to Kai."

"Rei, Kai can't come. He has to make sure that the others don't come after you. Look, we know that you were having another episode. Please, don't be angry with yourself."

Rei lowered his head into the ground, "I know they're my friends. I know they want you to help me… but… I don't want them to know. I don't want them looking after me. I took care of myself for a while now. I can handle myself."

"Rei, look, I know that you don't want the others to know. I'm not going to tell them and either is Kai. We want you to get well, that's all we want. I don't want to leave them in the dark, but that's not mine to grant."

"Can… I need to be alone for a while."

"Sure. I'll be waiting a few feet down. Just turn around and walk when you're ready." She left him.

Rei was still angry with himself. Even his own kin has never seen fear in his eyes. He wasn't allowed to show anyone that he's weak. He thought about all the time he held back his emotions. No one could know what he was thinking; he was the master of his fate. Now look at him. He runs, like a coward.

Rei sat up and took out Driger, his Bit Beast, his friend. He touched his face, there were tears. He had given up on crying a long time ago. He wasn't like Jade and Krypton, whose tears were dry. He wasn't allowed to cry in front of anyone, including himself. It was an order, and he always followed through.

A thought came to him, what if Kai had seen him shed tears before? If he was shedding them over a memory, where they there when it was occurring? He had to know. He only cried in front of a few people since he was given the order. If he had, then he would explain himself only to Kai. He got up fully and walked over to where Jade said she was.

"What do you want to do?" She looked at him. She was leaning against a tree.

"Unlike you, no one is allowed to know that I can cry."

"Why?"

"Because it was an order. I need to talk to Kai alone for a bit."

"Where?"

"… There's a tree at the edge of the town. It over looks the pathway to get into the town. I'll meet him there." Rei walked away.

Jade went over to where the others were.

"Where's Rei? Is he alright?" Max asked.

"He's fine. We'll take this back to the cabin."

"Where is he?" Max asked as she was packing the food.

"He wants to be alone for a while. Allow him the room."

"But why? We can help him."

"Just drop it Max, it doesn't involve you… It doesn't involve any of us." She finished packing and handed everyone something to carry. "Let's move."

"But.."

"Max! I told you once and I'm not about to repeat myself!" She looked hard at him. Everyone was a bit taken back, but Kai could tell that this was a front. He played along, for the rest to believe that she meant it. She walked back to the cabin and they followed without another word.

"Kai, he wants to talk to you alone. He's by a tree that's on the edge of the town. It over looks the path that leads there." Jade said as they were in their room. The others were in theirs.

"Right." He kissed her forehead before heading out of the window.

"Yo Max, are you alright?"

Max looked at his window to see Ed there.

"I'm fine… Did you follow Rei?"

"I did but I couldn't get close enough to hear what they were saying."

"Was he alright at least?"

"He looked angry for some reason. I couldn't tell if it was from event or himself." Ed hopped into the room. "Do you still want to try?"

"I don't think anything would work. You saw how Kai handled the situation. He was speaking in a language I didn't know and Kai understood it. I don't know if I can topple that."

"So, this Kai is your biggest rival?"

"I think so."

"But he seems to have a girlfriend."

"That doesn't seem to stop him."

"Okay, well, from what I can tell, Rei seems to be impressed by him. So you have to find some way to impress him as well."

"But all I have is my blading skills."

"Well then, when we get back, I have something to teach you."

"What is it?"

"It's called Alchemy." Ed said with a smile.

Kai came upon the tree. He walked around it to see Rei looking out on the path. He seemed to be in deep thought.

"You wanted to talk?"

He looked at him. "There's something I have to ask you."

"Ask your question."

"Have you seen tears come from my eyes before?"

Kai was going back into his memory, remembering how he looked when he was brought to his room, "Yea. It wasn't a river or anything. But I have seemed them come out of your eyes."

He looked back out into the darkness. There wasn't a moon out, making it gloomier. "… Listen, no one is allowed to see me shed a tear."

Kai was shocked, though he wondered if it had to do with Mr. Dickenson, "Who told you that? Or did you come up with it yourself?"

"It's an order. I haven't cried much since then, only two other being have seen me shed a tear."

"Is that why you ran? Because we saw you crying?"

"Yeah…"

"So, what are you going to do about it?"

"I'm not sure… They already know that it was because of what happened in Russia."

"You said that you didn't want them to see tears, what are you going to do about that?"

"I don't know…"

"We can't really change their memories and we can't ask them if they saw anything because then they would want to know why."

"I know what I'm going to do."

"What?"

"I just won't allow them to see tears. I'll just have to work harder to make sure."

"Are you going to do the same for me?"

"… No, you saw it twice."

"I might not be the best person for emotional support…"

"Thanks Kai. Your offer is well noted." Rei smiled, but he wasn't a cheery one. "You can go back if you want."

"And leave you in the dark? Are you afraid to go asleep?"

"… Every time I've tried, something from that time comes up and haunts me. My body reacts, taking my mind with it. I don't want to go through the same thing every time."

Kai sat down next to him, "Then we'll stay up together."

"What about Jade?"

"She knows that I'm here. Max seems the most worried out of them."

"Really?"

"Yea. He probably doesn't want to see you suffering again, like you were at the World Championship."

"Probably… though he is changing. I wonder if there's some trouble at home."

"I guess we'll never know."

"Guess so…" Rei lay against the tree. "Thanks for not asking too many questions."

"You like to keep to yourself. I was like that myself so I understand that you don't want to talk about your problems. But whenever you are, I'll be there to listen."

"I know. I just haven't told anyone about my past."

"Have people asked?"

"A few times, but I give little away."

"Why?"

"It was none of their business."

"How about this, when we find out my past and everything it contains, will you tell me, or Yoma, about your past?"

"Why include him?"

"I think he just wants to know you better."

"Okay, it's a deal. Hey, since we're staying up, let's go get those fish."

"Sure."

They got up and went over to the lake.

Rei was getting the fish left and right, but never going beyond the shoreline. He caught a lot since he knows that Tyson would be eating a lot.

"You did that with more style than Yoma." Kai said as they were walking back.

"That's because I…" Rei was about to reveal his training to Kai. "I… uh… thought it would be cooler to do it that way." He smiled nervously.

"Look, you haven't told me anything about your inner beast. Yoma hinted that you were most likely training while in China. I'm just now waiting for the reason."

"Wow… you were about to get all that?" Rei lost control of his body.

"Yea, I am able to figure things out." He noticed the silence so he stopped and looked behind him. Rei came up and kissed him in the lips! He started to press harder and harder before Rei's eyes opened wide. He pulled back and started to run but Kai caught his arm, "What's going on Rei? This isn't the first time that he has come out."

"I'm sorry Kai." He broke his grip and started to run. Kai was wondering if this meant that his inner beast appearance wasn't his choosing. Was his inner beast making his own rules now? Was he out of control? Kai ran after him.

Kai came back to the cabin, seeing the door open. He walked around quietly after setting the fish in the kitchen. Rei's old room's door was opened. "Rei?"

"I'm not going insane… Please, don't come in."

"Rei…"

" Don't come in. I promise, I won't cut myself. "

Kai sat down on the floor, right outside of his room, "Okay, but I'm at least staying here."

The rest of the night, it was silent.

"Kai?" He looked up to see Jade there. "Where's Rei?"

He looked into the room, "He didn't want me to come in. Can you check?"

"Yea." Jade didn't know what was going on, but left it as that. She opened the door to see Rei lying on the bed. He was curled up into a ball, a little. She walked over to him, "Rei?"

He moaned before looking up, "It's morning?"

"Yep, are you okay?"

"A little." He got up and walked out. When he noticed that Kai was there, he quickly went over to the kitchen.

"What was that about?" Jade asked as she was coming out.

"I don't trust telling you here." He walked over to Rei.

He was able to cook now, so he was making breakfast. "Just forget about it." Kai said as he stored the fishes into the fridge.

"Are you sure?"

"Yea, you can blame it on your mental state if you want to give me an excuse."

"Okay." Rei knew that Kai knows it was Byakko, but why wasn't he pressuring Rei to tell? Does he have some plan? Or did Byakko tell him something when he took control? He wished he knew. He started to feel Byakko struggling to take control again. Rei looked around, seeing no one else here. "Where's Jade?"

"Probably getting ready." Kai was cleaning the dishes since no one did them yesterday.

"For what?"

"We're leaving today, remember?"

"Oh…"

"Good morning guys." Max said as he walked into the area. Byakko stopped fighting, making Rei really glad.

"Hi Max, I'm able to cook again." Rei said with a smile.

"Really? That's great."

"Yea. What would you like to drink?"

"Anything is fine." Max sat at the table.

"The dishes are clean." Kai said as he walked away.

"Thanks." Rei said as he was pulling out different drinks.

"Are you two arguing?" Max asked.

"Why do you think that?" Rei poured some milk, remembering that he likes it.

"Just the way he walked out."

"You know that it's hard to read Kai sometimes. But no, we're not arguing."

"Oh… Are you okay? I mean from yesterday."

"Yea… Sorry about that."

"It's okay. What were you seeing?"

"I don't want to talk about it." He went back to the kitchen.

Max fall silence, not knowing what else to say.

When everyone was eating, Rei was writing another letter to his kin. He was telling them that Byakko won't listen to him He was fighting him all night to make sure that he didn't take control. He was really worried about it, since he thought he had gained his trust. He didn't tell them about the bad episode that he had yesterday, since he didn't think they should know. Rei was the one that sent it off, but Tyson was with him since he wanted to see the town.

"This is a pretty small town." Tyson said as they were coming up.

"Yea but it is peaceful."

"That's true."

"Good, now we can begin. Okay, this time you're going to be battling each other on the open field." Jade said as she was leading them.

"Why? All of our battles are going to be in a dish." Tyson said.

"Because there might come a time where there is no limit to the field. Krypton and I are really good at those kinds of battles."

"Really?"

"Yep." She smiled.

"Are you going to show us how you battle?" Max asked.

"I gave some information to Kai already so you have to follow his lead. Again, it's a tag-team battle."

"Awesome, we'll take them down, right Kai?" Tyson said with excitement.

"Not this time, I have improved my blade to counter anything you think of." Kenny said.

"Right, we're not going down so easily." Max said.

Rei smiled to himself, wishing he could join in the trash talk. They got to another open clearing that was mainly dirt.

"Tyson and Kai over there and stand at the edge." They went over. "Max, Kenny same thing." They went to the other side. "Rei, stay near me. This can get ugly."

"Right." Rei walked over to her.

"Okay, three, two, one, Let it Rip!" They pulled with all their might. They were going for each other until Kai and Tyson split, making Max and Kenny go in-between them. They came around quickly and attacked.

"You have to put more spirit into this battle. Act as if you're physically fighting the other." Jade said.

Kai was the only one trying. Rei took out Driger, wanting to try this style of fighting. "Rei, you're not ready." He looked at Jade before putting Driger back. "Come on! You have more fire than that!"

"Maybe we would get it if you showed us." Tyson said.

"No one taught us, no one showed us. So why should I show you? You have to find this hidden strength." Tyson and Kai knocked out Kenny's blade, with some fancy workings with their blades, so now Max was the only one left.

"Max, you can win if you put more soul into your attack!" Jade said.

Max was looking straight at Kai, trying out plan A again. "You two are going down! Go Draciel!" He was able to send a lot more energy into his blade, but Dranzer was forcing him to follow. When he disappeared, he crashed into a tree, breaking the bark and stopped spinning.

"Kai, were you trying?" Jade asked when they were coming back.

"I was."

"Well, Max got it a little bit and Kai seemed to get the movements. I guess that has to be good enough. Look, you have to make it seem like you were fighting the opponent, like your blows are transferring through your blades."

"How can you do that when you just stand there when you battle?" Tyson asked.

"In a dish fight, that's what we do. We don't have to show all our strength because we don't have the freedom to roam. In a place like this, we're really deadly."

"Like you weren't dangerous enough, now you have to go tell us that you can kick serious butt off the dish."

She smiled a wicked one, "Come on, it's not like I'm going to aim at you guys. Besides, only fools challenge us off the dish."

"Who has?" Kenny asked.

"Hot-shots who think they have a handle on their technique. Okay, that's it for today. Now we're heading home." Jade walked back the way they came. "What I taught you today is what you have to keep in mind as you train yourselves. From now on, we're going to have fun." She smiled back at them.

They all followed. They packed everything up as Rei and Kai were making the snacks since Kai knows how to make it. Tyson was eating a whole bunch, but that was okay since Rei wasn't able to eat a lot. They were having a lot more fun too, since Rei was joining in and Kai as well.

Wow… poor Rei, not only does he have to worry about what happened but Byakko as well… Rei definitely acts like Wu, not asking for help… and Kai is getting warmer to the others. That's definitely an improvement, everyone would say. I hope that someone can help Rei… He doesn't deserve to suffer so much… But then again, I'm sure he would just bare it and move on… well, I wonder what Ed is going to teach Max… And Max is getting interesting himself… Let's see, Ed said something about alchemy… Oh, I know what that is! But why is he going to teach him that?... Anyway, it seems that Tyson is going to be in the light, since he has no secrets to keep and he doesn't know anything… and of course Kenny will be with him… Bye!


	12. Chap 11 Talk for Control

Yo! What's happenin'? Has life been good to you? Have you been getting enough sleep? Has your school work been the best? If you said yes to any other these then you're just mangoey. :Smiles: Of course, you know that mangoey isn't the word that Rei and Max would be using. I wonder if Kai would use it?... That's an interesting question… I wonder if it will be answered… Anyway, I should allow you to read on… That way you can know what happens to them… you know what? I'm not going to allow you to! So there! What are you punks going to do about it now, huh? You can't beat this spirit! I'm going to bring you down!... Oh my, I'm sorry. Please, ignore my outburst. PLEASE! I PROMISE THAT I'LL NEVER DO THAT AGAIN!... okay, I'm back :Smiles: Sorry, I'm really bored so I had to let it out some time… Anyway, I'm going to be nice and allow you to read the story… I'm not insane, really…

"What are you going to teach me?" Max asked as he closed the door to his room. They had to give a report to Max's dad, though many things were omitted from it.

"The first thing I'm going to be teaching you is formulas. Once you have that down, we'll move to array circles, and principles." Ed grabbed the book that Max has seen him in most of the time.

"Is that a book that is filled with that?"

"It is, but I'm creating it. Your time doesn't have any of the books that mine had."

"Time? Are you from a different timeline or something?"

"You could say that. In my time, alchemy was a way of life and there was an unlimited source of information on every alchemy style out there."

"Wow! And you can remember them all?"

"I'm trying my best and letting you know that you're going to be my first pupil so you'll have to bear with me."

"That's fine. I hope I can learn it all."

"I'm sure that you can and once you do, that Kai can never be superior to you again." Ed said with a smile.

"Yea!" Max smiled too, glad to hear that he could have an advantage over Kai for once. He could only remember two times when he did, one was at the tournament that formed their team and another was at the time he challenged them to a match out on that lake. He was with his mother at the time so she was able to give him a new blade that he could use against him.

"Well, you're not going to learn by standing there." Ed said and turned on the light.

Max came over and Ed started to show him the formulas that he will need to know.

It was late when they got back so Kai was walking Jade to her home. He remembered that he was to sleep over there until he figured out what's going on with him. He also remembered that his CD was over at Rei's restaurant.

"Jade, have you ever eaten at the restaurant that Rei works at?"

"I don't think so, why?"

"How would you like to eat there tomorrow?"

"Sure, but do you have money?"

"Rei seems to pay for it."

"Really?"

"I normally don't have to pay."

"Wow, that's amazing. Rei is a really nice person. It's a shame that he's suffering so much."

"It's because of me that he's suffering." Kai has blamed himself for all the suffering that Rei is going through. He knew that Rei was only a result of his freedom.

"You can't control other people." Jade was trying to comfort him. She didn't want him to suffer either.

"Yea…" They reached the building that Jade and Krypton live. This would be the first time that he stepped into it, since he only watch Jade go inside. When they entered, people were surrounding them a bit. Kai was allowed Jade to lead him, since he didn't know where to go. He couldn't hear the words that the people were whispering.

"Jade." Krypton was walking up to them with people following behind him. "Why is Kai here? He does need to get home."

Kai was surprised to see Krypton angry, since he thought they pass that stage. "I can't go home."

"And why not? Afraid of the monsters under your bed?"

"When I went there, I lost my memory. It's not safe for me to return until I know what's going on."

"Why don't you go over to Rei's place?"

Kai didn't want to say why he didn't want to go over there. There was the inner beast, for one thing, and waking up with no clothes is another. "Is there a reason I can't stay here? I thought we were pass jealousy."

"It's not jealousy. Fine, but you're getting your own room."

"Why? We were in the same…" Jade started but Krypton stopped her.

"He's getting his own room!" And he walked down the hall he came.

"It's fine. I just need a place to stay." Kai said, possibly understanding why Krypton was nervous about him being here.

"He didn't have to yell. Okay, let's go." Jade took his hand and was leading him somewhere. "This will be your room and it's next to ours." She smiled.

Kai opened the door to see that there was a buck bed and a drawer. It almost reminded him of the room he had in the abbey, but their rooms were plainer.

"Is something wrong? I'm sorry I couldn't prepare something better for you." Jade said.

"It's fine. It just reminded me of my other room." He placed his bag down.

"What other room?"

"The one in the abbey." He walked back to her and held her, "When do you want me to pick you up?"

"You know when Rei works, whatever time you think it best."

"Okay." He kissed her forehead, "Good night."

"You too." They kissed before Jade pulled herself away to go to her room. As Kai was closing the door, he was wondering if Rei would be alright.

Rei was working out throughout the night. He wanted his arms stronger, and he was starting to lack in his training. His arms and ankles still hurt him, but he was willing to fight through the pain. Byakko was offering to take over, but Rei wouldn't hear of it. He was mad at Byakko, mad that he had cause trouble. He thought that Byakko trusted him, or was there something that Byakko wasn't telling Rei? Rei didn't really care to know right now, he wanted to ignore his weakness. Weakness is something that no one must see, not even Kai.

In the morning, Rei was really tired when he went to work. The boss was still playing the CD that was Kai's.

"What happened to you? I thought you say you wouldn't train." Jinochi asked with concern in his voice.

"Byakko isn't listening to me." He stated coldly.

"So you beat your body?"

"I just worked-out the whole night."

"Are you hungry or thirsty?"

"Not really."

"You should rest or something."

"I'm fine."

"What if one of your friends comes here?"

Rei didn't think about that, but it didn't really matter. He would make up something, depending on the person, "I'll think up something."

"Rei, maybe you need to find out what's wrong with him."

"I will…" But Rei's mind was gone now. He really didn't care about people anymore. He looked at his arms, remembering his longing for death. It was still there, but he can't die. He was told that he couldn't, not yet. He looked at the knife in his hand, wondering if it would take long.

"Rei? Are you okay?" Jinochi touched his shoulder, making Rei come back to reality.

"I'm fine…" He placed the knife down, "I'm so weak."

"Why?"

"I don't have courage." Rei sat down on a chair they had back there with them. He couldn't believe that he couldn't defeat this. He was supposed to be stronger than anything, and he can't even beat his emotions. He wanted to die, to be gone from this life, but he had to be strong. He had to live through this, since that would show that he is strong. No one can help him now.

Jinochi left him in the chair as he served the morning folk. When he noticed that Kai was coming with a girl, he didn't know what to say to them. Rei was now long gone into his thoughts that Jinochi didn't know if he could be brought back.

"Hi, where's Rei?" Kai asked.

"Which state do you want? Mentally or physically?" Jinochi didn't look to where Rei was sitting since it was out of sight of customers.

"Did something happen to him?" The girl asked.

"A bit. By the way, I don't think I ever caught your name."

"My name is Jade and where is Rei now?"

"I'm not sure if he can be brought out of it."

"Out of what? Jinochi, tell us." Kai said.

"Jade, is it okay if only Kai comes back here?" Jinochi remembered what Rei told him once. That Kai considers Rei his only friend so he would want to help out more. Jinochi was hoping on Kai's friendship to bring Rei out of this state.

"Of course, I understand." She sat down. Jinochi admired her for her ability to understand and have faith that it will work.

Kai entered the cooking area and found Rei in a chair. He wasn't staring at anything, but it made Kai worry since he didn't look alive either.

"If he's able to move, you should bring him outside." Jinochi suggested and Kai followed it. He moved, meaning that he was alive, but he wasn't really responding. He hid his fear from Jinochi and Jade, not wanting them to worry even more.

Once they were outside, Rei dropped to the ground.

"Rei? What's wrong?" Kai got on the ground too.

"I've weakened myself… I can't seem to gain strength…" Rei sounded fine, but his words were a bit odd.

"You still haven't recovered. Give it time." Kai knew that there were many sides to Rei that he doesn't want others to see or know. He thought that Rei didn't want people to think he was weak in anything, but he wasn't really sure.

"I have no control… I thought I did…"

Now it seemed that he was babbling, but Kai could sense that there was some reason he said that, "What do you have no control over?"

"Me… I can't control me anymore… I'm sorry…"

"Rei, your health is important." Kai knew that he was going to apologize for taking him away from Jade. "I want to make sure that you're not hurt."

"I'm fine now…"

"Do you still have to lie to me? Is that something that friends do?"

"How much do you think that Lee and the others know?"

"How much does Wu know?"

"…… She might know more… but I can't think how much."

"This is my fault so let me help as much as I can."

Rei actually looked at him, "How is this your fault?"

"They took you to get to me. You suffered because I wanted freedom."

Rei smiled and shook his head, "Blaming you won't solve anything. Besides, that would be too easy of a thing. Nah, I thought I was strong enough to handle this and I was wrong."

At least he was showing emotion, "I don't really know what to say to help. I know that I would work harder to make sure that I wasn't weak ever again."

"I didn't know you had an inferiority complex." Rei smiled softly.

"You seem to have one too." Kai was glad that Rei wasn't afraid to show him his weak side. Kai would have to remember that for Rei and for Jade.

"Get away from him!" They looked over to the right to see Lee and Mariah running over to them. Kai and Rei got up to have Mariah pushing Kai away from Rei. "Don't get near him!" Mariah yelled at Kai.

"Mariah, what's wrong?" Rei asked.

"Him! He allowed you to get hurt!" Lee said.

Rei saw Kai go back to his old self and walked back inside. Rei felt bad for him, knowing that it's not good for him to hear someone tell him that it's his fault that Rei is like this. "You have to apologize to Kai after you tell me what you're doing here."

"Why do we have to apologize to someone that hurt you?" Mariah asked.

"We're here to see how you're holding up. Why are you talking to him? There are other friends you have that you can talk to." Lee said.

"It's not his fault…"

"Of course it's his fault! If you're becoming weak then it's his fault." Mariah said.

"And you're reasoning?" Rei didn't sound mad or look it.

"Because ever since we were young you were always strong. You were never weak." Lee said.

Rei smiled, hiding his own thoughts behind it. He knew that there were points when he was weak, they just never saw it. Wu did, she was one of the few that knew. Now, Kai is one of them and the same with Jade. "Just apologize to him. He didn't mean for this to happen." They walked back inside and they still gave Kai a hated look. Kai ignored it as he was eating.

"Are you okay?" Jinochi asked.

"Yea… Sorry for that Kai. I know that it's not your fault. They just have the wrong impression from what I sent them. " Rei said in Russian.

" It doesn't really matter what they think. Why are they here? " Kai looked at him.

" They want to check up on me and there might be something else later. "

" Okay. " Kai seemed not to care, but Rei knew that he did.

"What were you two taking about?" Jade asked, getting excited about something.

"It's nothing important." Kai responded but then whispered into her ear.

"Hey, if you guys are going to be here for a few more days, do you want to head to the beach with us?" Jade looked over at them.

"We'll think about it." Lee said coldly.

"Please do, I know it's going to be a lot of fun because Rei is required to go." She said with a smile that both Kai and Rei knew it was meant more of a devious one than an innocent one.

"But we didn't bring any swimming suit with us." Kevin stated.

"I can go shopping with Mariah, if it's okay with her."

"You guys should go with Jade for that. I'm sure it will be a lot of fun. Oh, Kai, I just remembered about your CD. Do you want it back?"

"Why is it still playing?" Kai thought the boss would've gotten tire of it, that or the customs since most are old.

"They say that they loved with band when it was still around." Jinochi explained.

"'Really?" Kai actually looked like he wanted to know or hear more.

"Yea, my parents were fans of theirs, as much as anyone is from their generation. Mind that they're not the most popular group of that time, but they did bring in a lot of fans for their last concert, which is said to have been the start of another singer. That was their last concert."

"Why did they stop?"

"Because the main singer and lead guitarist dissolved the group, I never really paid attention to why."

" Maybe I was there for his last concert. " Kai looked at Rei.

" I think that's a possibility. +Jinochi, do you still live with your folks+"

"I do, why?"

"Can you ask to see if you could borrow that CD some time? It might be the closest thing that Kai can get to find out."

"The boss has all of his CDs. Maybe some time later he can tell Kai all he knows."

"I guess that can work." Rei looked around to see that they were the only ones here. "I'll ask him later."

"Okay." Jinochi smiled and looked at the White Tigers, "And what would you two like to have?"

"Rei, whatever you want to make." Lee said in an uncaring tone.

"Something warm, if you don't mind." Mariah said.

"I'll make it Jinochi."

"Are you sure?"

"I cooked for them." He tilted his head over to Kai and Jade, who were now finished.

"As long as you're sure."

"Well, we have other things that we need to get done. Have someone tell us if you're interested. Rei knows how to contact us." Jade said and they left. "Oh.."

"Don't worry about it." Rei said with a weak smile.

Both of them didn't have the heart to leave him with that kind of smile. Kai noticed that his nails were growing, signaling that they have to go before the beast came out, "We'll see you later, Rei."

"Bye White Tigers." Jade said as they walked out. "Why didn't we stay a bit longer?" She asked as they were outside.

"Rei has this inner beast that somehow he is losing control. I'm sure that Jinochi knows something about it and the same with his friends. I just didn't want Rei to run."

"What do you mean?"

"The last time it came out, Rei ran back into that room to get away from me."

"Maybe that beast is what Krypton wanted Rei to have. He still hasn't told me anything about that time and I know he knows."

"He went for training, but he hasn't told me what it is."

"Maybe you should see this beast when they're gone. Why were you cold to them anyway? I know you're not friendly to most but I thought you were trying."

"They agreed with me."

"On what?"

"It's my fault."

She kissed him, "It's not your fault and Rei knows it."

"He's blaming himself."

"Well, we just have to tell him that it's not his fault either."

Kai wondered how easy that would be. "Maybe if we have that beast help."

"That could work, but I'm doubt that it's going to be easy to go over there with his kin there."

"We'll see if there's any improvement while they're here."

"Okay." And they continued their way.

Rei put away his smile and looked at Jinochi, "I need to talk to you about the schedule once I'm done."

"Okay." Rei could see in his eyes that he was worried. Once he was done making them breakfast, they walked to the back of the restaurant. "I think it's best if you went somewhere while they're here."

"Why?"

"I love them dearly, I always will. But they can be very bias sometimes. I've tried to get them out of it, they're coming along…"

"If they talk bad about me or about anyone else, I don't mind. Besides, if you don't want me to hear it just talk in your native tongue." Jinochi's smile brought one to Rei.

"Okay, I'm… Thanks for understanding."

"Any time." They walked back inside.

":You guys can talk while here.:"

":We've always been talking.:" Kevin said.

":But remember what we were told? That while in Japan we have to speak Japanese.:"

":Oh yea. Glad that we don't have to here.:" Mariah smiled.

"By the way, what language was that?" Lee asked.

"What?"

"The one that you talked to Kai in?"

"He has lived in Russia."

"When did you pick up Russian?" Gray asked.

"I don't really want to talk about it." Rei was starting to feel that sense of death.

"Come on, you have to tell us." Mariah said.

"Yea, otherwise we can't help you." Kevin said.

"I don't remember much of it." Rei smiled, though it was one for hiding. He noticed that only Jinochi saw.

Max and Ed were outside by lunchtime. They were sent to get food for themselves since there would be many people coming to the store since they got new models. Max was able to retain all the formulas that Ed had showed him and he was reciting them back. They had written down all the information that Ed remembered.

"You must've study a lot to make sure that you could remember all of this."

"Al and I did when we were younger. Oh, and there was one more thing that I have to teach you once you get all of this down."

"What is it?"

"It's a method that my master taught us. Well… I guess you can say that part of the principle aspect of it."

"I can't wait."

"Once I'm done, can you teach me about your history and English?"

" Sure! Why do I have to write everything down that you teach me?"

"That way you have something that you can look back on. Also, it will help in your development of the art."

"Did I pass this part?"

"I think you got most of this. So we can move on to array circles."

"What do they look like?"

"I managed to get the one of the important arrays on my jacket."

Max looked at it to see some a design out of circles and a staff thing with wings in the center. "Is it the same as the design on your gloves?" He remembered that it was a red design of circles and triangles.

"Yep…" As he was looking at it, Max could tell that this one had a special meaning to him.

"Is there something about that one that makes it special?"

"A friend had this. Well, he's not really a close friend, but still a person that I knew well. He got me into the military."

"By the way, do you want to tell me why you want to find this lady that sent you here?"

"She told me that she could find a way to help me here."

"You seem fine on your own."

"I want to get back to my brother and my world. There's a Gate that blocks people from my world to get into your world and visa versa. I was able to create me something that got me this far into the future. She said that she knew people that had traveled to this world and that she knew someone that could get people into other dimensions. So I'm finding her so I can go back."

"How do you get through the Gate?"

"I'm not really sure, but it's my goal to get back. But until then, I'm here so I better make myself useful."

"Thanks for helping me."

"Not a problem." Ed said with this happy smile.

When they got back, Ed was teaching him how to draw the array circles. They had to be perfect, because if it was sloppy, it wouldn't work.

"Why can't you use alchemy here?"

"It doesn't exist in this world like it does in my world. Trust me, I tried it once."

"Then how can I use it?"

"I'm going to see if my theory works. I've been thinking about it for a while now."

"Well, I'm still going to learn. If it works then I have something to rival Kai."

"Right. Let's go back to drawing." Max started to practice drawing simple ones. The circles weren't really working with Max drawing them by hand. He wasn't a very good artist, but then he knew that you didn't have to be an artist to draw perfect circles. It had taken them all the way to dinner and Max still couldn't get them right. Where Ed's circles were perfect, Max's were all disproportion.

"I can't see how you can mess up on something as simple as this." Ed said as they were eating dinner.

"I don't know… Maybe I have to do it differently than you."

"Like how?"

"What are you trying to do?" Mr. Tate asked.

"I'm trying to draw a circle but they're not coming out right." Max explained.

"Why do you want to draw circles?"

"It's for a project that we're doing." Ed explained.

"That still doesn't explain the purpose of the circles."

"They just have to be perfect. Ed is trying to help me with new ways of creating Bey Parts." Max thought up right away.

"Trying to be like your mother, eh? Why don't you use a ruler?"

"We're trying a different method of measuring."

"You're measuring by sight?"

"Yea, and since I can do that, I thought that Max should be able to as well." Ed said.

"I guess that's how new models are created. Well, good luck with it."

"Thanks Dad."

Once they finished, they were back outside.

"What you said gave me an idea." Ed said as they were standing in front of the ground they're been using all afternoon.

"What?"

"Why don't you use you Beyblade to create the circles?"

"But it'll leave marks."

"That's why we practice until it doesn't. I'm not an expert or anything."

"That's okay. Well, let's see."

Draciel was launch onto the ground and Max got him to do a perfect circle. "YAY! I did it!" Max said.

"Now…"

"Max, Jade and Kai are here." His father called.

"I'll stay here." Ed said before Max went over to his father.

He went to the front door to see them standing there. He was glad that Rei wasn't with them, and sad at the same time, but he wondered why they were here and why Jade was holding a shopping bag, "Yea?"

"The White Tigers are in town so I thought that it would be nice if we all hanged out together. We're going to the beach soon so you better get a swimsuit ready. I'm going over there tomorrow to see if they're still interested in going shopping with me." Jade said.

"How do you know that they're in town?"

"We had breakfast over at Rei's restaurant since I never had breakfast there."

"… Okay, sure! Where do you want to meet?"

"At the same spot."

"Then I'll see you there." Max smiled.

"Okay, see ya then. Bye." They walked away and Max closed the door and ran back to Ed.

"What did they want?" Ed asked.

"They wanted to tell me that we're heading over to the beach."

"When?"

"I think the day after tomorrow."

"Wouldn't they tell you?"

"Jade told me that she's going to go shopping with kinsmen of Rei for their swimsuit."

"Do you need one?"

"Nah, I have one. Are you interested in coming?"

"Yea, incase I think of anything else while there."

"I guess that means that I have to introduce you to them."

"Nah, I'll still hide."

"You don't want them to see you?"

"It would be hard to explain me being here. So I'll just watch on the sidelines, but do watch out for me."

"Okay, do you need a swimsuit?"

"Yeah."

"Okay, we'll go tomorrow."

"Right. Let's keep on trying to get more circles."

"Okay."

They kept on trying to get more circles, but the only problem is that Max could only get it at one speed once and that would leave marks that were un-needed.

"This is going to be hard to solve." Max said as they were in his room. Max was lying on the bed and Ed was looking at Draciel.

"There has to be some way for this to work."

A knock came to his door before it opened, "Max, could you take care of shop tomorrow? I have to be out on errands for a while." His dad asked.

"Okay."

"Ed, you can help if you want."

"Sure."

He smiled before closing the door.

"I guess we better get some sleep in. We'll think about it tomorrow." Max said.

"Right." Ed took off his black jacket. This is the first time that Max has seen his auto mail. It started on his shoulder. The only thing that wasn't constant with the rest is his hand.

"Did it hurt to get that put in?"

"Huh?" Ed looked at him. He was about to turn off the light.

"The auto mail."

"Oh. Yea and it hurts when it has to be replaced as well."

"How are you going to do when you need a repair or something?"

"Luckily I never had to worry about that. I don't know what I would do if something happened to it."

"Then we'll make sure nothing happens to your arm."

Ed smiled, "Night." And he turned off the light.

Rei was taking a shower after work. His clan was looking around his apartment. They were having their own fun at the restaurant. Since they knew that the other people couldn't understand them, they were making fun of everyone. Rei tried to make them stop, since it was just embarrassing for him, but they wouldn't listen. The only way he got them to stop was by taking them out to see the town. It was fortunate that Max took him to a few places that would calm them. It was all the Beybattle sites, and they did well against the opponents so they were pleas as well as boosted their egos.

Rei sat down in the shower, feeling death seeping into his mind. He had to fight it. He had to keep on living. He felt something comforting him. "Driger?" He looked to see that it was Byakko in his true tiger form. "Byakko?"

He went into him, filling his mind with his words. He told Rei that he will always protect him. "Thanks Byakko. I guess you can help Driger in that department." Rei remembered that Driger promised to help and keep him safe as they traveled. He was still traveling. Byakko said yes, he will.

"Rei, are you okay? I thought I heard you talking to someone." Mariah asked.

"I'm fine." He got up and turned off the water. He grabbed a towel to cover himself before walking out. She was standing at the door with another towel for his hair. "I was just talking to Byakko."

"Like you do with Driger? Come on, do you still believe that?" She handed him the towel.

"We talk to our Beyblades." He took it.

"But they can't tell us words, only feelings. I'm sure that Byakko can only do that as well."

"If that's what you think. I'll be out in a moment. If you guys are hungry, there is food in the fridge." Rei went back into the bathroom and dried his hair with the towel. Sometimes, it is best not to argue with their logic. Once told something by the elders, they stick to that logic. He wished that sometimes they would think on their own.

Once he got clothes on, he went back outside. They were all digging in the food that he had, luckily they were all instant things.

"How is Byakko?" Lee asked.

"And why does he only appear when Kai is around?" Kevin asked.

"I haven't been able to figure it out." Rei knew that it had something to do with that night they either of them could remember. He shivered to think the possibilities.

"Rei?" Mariah asked.

"It's kinda cold in here, eh?" Rei went to the window and closed it.

"Does Kai know that it's not you?" Gray asked.

"Yea… He knows but he doesn't know anything more than that." He walked back.

"What were you guys talking about in Russian?" Kevin asked.

"We were pondering over something from his past. He doesn't remember much of it and I told him that I would help him with that."

"Are you saying that he's your friend?"

"What about your own dream? If you help him you might never be strong." Mariah said.

Rei was shocked for a moment before he smiled. He remembered that he told them when he was recovering that he went with Mr. Dickenson to get stronger. So now he knew. Only Wu knew the true reason. "I need to recover and I won't forget my goal."

"Good. Because we wouldn't allow him to stop you."

"Or anyone for that matter." Lee added.

"Thanks." Rei sat down on the bed. "Do you guys want to go to the beach?"

"Yea, it would be nice to hang with the others for a while. Plus, we've never been to the beach before." Mariah answered.

"Okay, I need to talk to Lee tomorrow so you three go with Jade."

"Where do we meet her?" Kevin asked.

"Wait by the restaurant. They'll come there."

"Okay. I guess you're tired so we'll go to sleep now." Mariah said.

"Right. There are blankets in the closet."

"We'll take care of it. Get some rest." Lee said.

Rei nodded and hopped into the bed. They weren't talking, so Rei was able to fall asleep faster.

In the morning, Rei made them breakfast before giving them some money for lunch. Once they were done, Rei and Lee started to walk around.

"What's on your mind, bro?"

"I'm not really sure. My body is calling for my death."

"WHAT!" Lee stopped and Rei stopped as well. Rei noticed that they were on a bridge.

"It started a few days ago. That's why I…" He lifted his arms to see the marks he gave to himself.

"I wrote to Wu, asking her what happened. She said that you were beaten more than any time before. You weren't controlling your body. Byakko was getting you to safety."

"I guess I do have his loyalty. Then it's his judgment that I should worry about. I was warned about this, and I didn't listen."

"When?"

"It was when I got back from my training. This lady told me that he would get out of control. I thought I could handle it."

"Why did you listen to her?"

"Because Kai trusted her. She had spoken to him before and whatever she said then was true."

"Just because…"

"She was a fortune-teller."

"Look, just because…"

"They're real! They exist all over the world. I've seen them at the Australian tournament."

"Who?"

"The Yami Hunters. They have mystical powers, all of them. And they're strong. I'm sure that Jade and Krypton could take them and win, but I'm not sure about us. Kai and I could take them, but whether or not we win is another thing."

"The Yami Hunters are the ones that have Wu's world friends in it, right?"

"I did see them because of their connections to members of the Hunters."

"Wu has way too much influence over you. It's like when we were kids."

"I owed her."

"But still, you went wherever she wanted to go. You didn't have to be her dog."

"I asked her to have them come. I wanted to meet them."

"Because they were _her_ friends. How did your team felt?"

"As long as I came back, they were fine." Rei wanted help. He wanted Lee to tell him that what he needed to get over this. Was no one willing to help him? Was all Lee good for was to tell him that he needs to forget everyone and come back home?

"I was afraid that I was mistaken, but now I know that I have found you." They both looked behind Rei, since they were facing each other, to see a guy with blond hair and a wooden cane. Rei noticed that he was dressed in causal Western attire, making him look a bit of a foreigner, but his eyes told Rei that he was Japanese. He wondered where he saw those kinds of eyes before.

"May I help you?" Rei asked, thinking that he might be lost or something.

"Your name is Rei Kon, right?"

"Who are you? How do you know his name?" Lee asked, getting cautious. Rei was the same way, but it wasn't as obvious.

"You have been trained well, Rei. I may not look it but I am well skilled in martial arts as well." He said with a smile that was friendly enough.

"What do you want?" Rei asked. He noticed that this guy spoke with a traditional way, but he looked to be just about the same age as Kaiba-san.

"I am sorry to be as rude as to easy-drop but I was asked to seek someone."

"And that person is me?"

"No, but that does not matter right now. I can see that you are in pain. I would like to help you find some kind of closure."

"Why?"

"Because you are very loyal to those around you and you wish to protect them. You can not do a good job if you are not sound."

How can a stranger know that? "What's your name?"

"My name is Date Sage."

"So where do I meet you? I can't do anything tomorrow."

"Don't tell me you're going to follow this guy!" Lee asked in shock.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a pen and paper. He wrote something down and handed it to Rei with an envelop underneath it. "This is where my house is. Whenever you want to come by, just show this to the driver of the bus. In the envelop, there is money for you for the fare."

Rei took it and looked at the note. There was some kanji but they didn't really make sense to him by their position, "Okay. You just better be there."

"If not, the door is opened. Have a nice day." He smiled before walking away.

"Why are you listening to him? Or do you listen to any person nowadays?" Lee asked with anger.

"You couldn't sense it?"

"Sense what?"

"He's very wise and he never got offensive. He had enough trust in us to know that we wouldn't attack."

"Ever thought that he was trying to get us to let down our guard?"

"If he wanted to kidnap us then he would've done so. Plus, if he said that he is still a good fighter then he must be."

"Why say that?"

"That cane isn't for a fashion statement. His right leg is weaker than the other and it seemed to be injured."

"You were able to see all that?"

"That or he allowed me to see it. I couldn't tell what he was thinking."

"And you can with everyone else?"

"Sometimes, but I can with warriors. If he wanted to hide anything, he would've."

"I say that you shouldn't go to his house. It might be a trap or something."

"If it's a trap, I'll be ready for it. Nah, you're right. I have other things that I should be worrying about."

Lee smiled, "Glad you're seeing reason. Anyway, let's get going." Lee walked ahead.

Rei looked at the way that he left. He knew what he needed to do so he followed Lee.

Max was stocking the store before opening it. Ed was helping and Max was telling him what all the parts are called.

"Hey Max!" Ed called.

"What?" He went over to him, wondering why he was so excited.

"Look, all the points have different designs!"

"That's because everyone has their own style that they follow. I'm the only one that most know that uses a defensive style Beyblade."

"I didn't know that there were different kinds. This gives me an idea."

"What?"

"I need to borrow one of each and your own point."

"Okay, I'll place others there in their place. The basement is the best place that you can think quietly."

"Okay, I'll head there. Be right back." Ed grabbed the parts and headed down there since he already had Draciel with him. Max finished stocking the store and opened it up to the neighborhood. He hoped that his father wouldn't take long to get back, since they needed to get Ed a swimming suit.

It was an hour before Ed came back up. The place had a few kids walking around, deciding what part they want.

"Did you succeed?"

"Yea, but is it okay for me to show you here?"

"Sure."

"Yo Max!" Ed hid as Max looked to see that Tyson and Kenny walked into the store.

"Hi Tyson," he looked at Ed to see that he was sitting down on the floor, unable to be seen by other people, "What are you guys doing here?"

"We were wondering if you are going to the beach with everyone else. The White Tigers said that Rei is going."

"When did you talk to them?"

"This morning. We were heading over to see what Rei said, he had already left with Lee by that time so we can over to ask you."

"Yea, I am. I think that it would be fun."

"Cool. Oh Jade told us that Krypton is coming along."

"Why?"

"She told us that he doesn't trust Kai." Kenny said.

"I thought he got pass that."

"I think we all thought that, but that's what she told us." Tyson commented.

"Was Kai with her?" Max figured that they talked to her as they were talking to the White Tigers.

"Yea, he was going with them."

"Kai shopping? That's unusual."

"Yea, but he said that he doesn't have anything else better to do."

"Oh. Well, I would like to hang out but I have to take care of the store until my dad gets back."

"That's cool."

"Did you get any new parts?" Kenny asked.

"Yea, over there." Max pointed to the right and Kenny headed over there.

"I challenged some kids yesterday." Tyson said.

"And?"

"I was able to beat them easily."

"I thought you would be more excited than that."

"Normally I would be but…"

"What's up?"

"It didn't feel right. You know that even some people could gain the upper hand at some point during the match."

"Yea."

"I was controlling it the whole time. There were good people there, I mean people I would like to fight again. But I can't do that anymore. I would feel ashamed if I asked that."

"Why?"

"I'm too strong, Max. We're all too strong for everyone else. I'm afraid to say that we might be too strong for our own good."

"There's always one way to know. You could challenge Lee to a battle."

"You're right, that's the only way I would know. I'm going to do that tomorrow."

"And if you want to partner up, I'll be with ya."

"Right." Tyson smiled.

Kenny came up and bought some parts. Once he was done, they left.

"Is it that bad to be strong?" Ed asked as he came up.

"Tyson likes the challenge. It makes him stronger. Rei knows that we're stronger than anyone. Now, Tyson knows it too."

"What about you?"

"If they know it then it has to be true. Jade and Krypton stole that from us."

"Maybe that's how they lived. They're training you so you can be the best. They might not really realize what they're doing to you guys."

"I guess… Anyway, you wanted to show me something?"

"Yea, this." He brought out a blueprint of an axis. It had equations on it and measurements to get something from the center to come out. It reminded Max of Kai's blade when they were at the local tournament. "How does it work?"

"It works by releasing this tiny, strong, sharp piece of metal out from the bottom. This piece will carve into anything."

"How do I bring it back?"

"I haven't figured out how to do that, but I figured once I start messing around with a Beyblade I would figure it out."

"Will it affect the rotation of the blade?"

"I'm not sure."

"I guess we'll test it out. I can gather some parts that we could use during the day."

"Okay. That would be good. So what do you think? Pretty good for someone that doesn't know anything about this machine."

"Yea."

"Hi Max."

Ed hid again as Max looked to see Rei and Lee walking over. Lee was looking around so nervously that he seemed to be out of place. Max smiled, "Hi Rei! What are you doing here?"

"We were nearby so I thought that Lee should bring some parts home for the other kids there. They said that there's now a training center for the other kids at home. So I thought that it would be good for them to get new models." Rei smiled kindly.

"Yea, let me just put in on our store's records." Max wrote it down and went to the computer nearby.

"You don't have to do that, Max. I'm sure that I can pay for it."

"It's not for paying, it's for delivers. My dad can send parts and models to your hometown so they can always get the last."

"Thank you Max." Rei looked on the computer, hovering over Ed, "That's English, right?"

"Yea, can you read it?"

"I guess I could give it a try…" Rei was able to identify some of the words that were there, but not all.

"That's pretty good. I thought you didn't know how to read it."

"I learned something similar to it when I was young. But in either case, I'm not really sure how to write my hometown in Romanji." He leaned back, making Ed relax.

"Oh.. that would be a problem since this computer doesn't have the program to put in Kanji. I guess we'll get it later then."

"Yea."

"Oh, I'm going to the beach thing as well."

"Really? Well, I guess unless you had something very important to do Jade would make you go."

"Why?"

"She's all about team loyalty."

"You don't sound too happy about that."

"I am." He looked at his scars on his arms.

"Those will heal in no time."

Rei looked at him and smiled a thank you one. Lee came up with all the parts he thought would be good and Rei was about to pay for it, "Don't worry about it. I'll pay for them."

"Are you sure?" Rei asked.

"Yea, I'm sure that you don't get that much as it is so you better start saving."

"Thanks again and I promise to get you my village's address soon."

"Okay."

"See ya later." They walked out.

"Wow, that was scary." Ed said.

"Sorry about that."

"It's okay since it was Rei. What is that anyway?"

"This is known as a computer."

"What does it do?"

"It does many things. It could have multiple functions."

"Wow, that's so cool."

"Have you not seen computers before?" Max reminded that he once said that he traveled to this time.

"Nope."

"Oh, well we also have TVs, cell phones, CD, walkman, VHS players, DVD players, and a lot more stuff."

"Wow! All those sound so cool. You have to let me see them some time."

"We have some in our house so I'll show you later."

"Okay."

"I see that you guys have done a good job with the store." Mr. Tate walked up to them.

"Dad, Rei said that his village is starting a training center for Beyblades. I was hoping that we could send some parts over to them."

"Did you get the address?"

"He's not sure how to spell it."

"We can as long as we get his address."

"And also I got down what they bought so just take it out of my pocket."

"You know that your friends get discounts."

"I know."

"Okay, I will just this time but don't do it again."

"Right. Well, Ed and I have something that we have to do," Ed rolled up the blueprints, "so we'll see you later. If Jade and Kai come by, have them leave a message." They went out of the store and went for looking for a swimming suit store.

"Max, why do they have these bars here?" They were in the closest one and Ed was picking one that he liked. He was pointing to the barcode that was on the price tag.

"It's called a barcode. That's how they total up everything you have."

"How do they read it?"

"It's done by scanning and a computer is programmed to read it."

"Interesting. I guess I can see how it's done then when we pay." Ed spotted something behind him, "What are those?"

Max looked to see scuba mask. "They're placed over your head so you can breathe underwater. These look like you can talk through them as well."

"That would be good. I can go into the water and you can follow if I need to talk to you."

"Okay, so we'll get two. And they're called scuba mask."

"How can we talk through them anyway?"

"Through these radios." Max pointed to them.

"That's cool. Do you have enough?"

"I'll answer that once you choose."

"Right." Ed went back to looking and picked up one that was teal blue. "This one."

Max looked at the price and added it with the scuba mask. "I should have enough."

"Okay." They went up to the cashier.

"Hello, thank you for shopping here today." She was bowing so when she looked up, she completely melted. "Oh my! Are you guys foreigners?"

"I'm half American." Max answered.

"Wow! You're adorable."

"We would like to pay for these." Ed said.

She nodded with love in her eyes. She rang them up but Max noticed that she was putting in a discount. Max knew there wasn't a discount on anything. She named the price and Max paid for it since he got the receipt.

"Thanks." Ed said and that was the final touch.

"You're welcome." She was in heaven as they walked out.

"Do you normally have that affect on girls?"

"Not really."

"I think we got a discount because of you."

"Really? Wow. Are you allowed to do that?"

"Nope."

"Glad to be of service." Ed smiled.

Rei and Lee were eating lunch at some café. Lee was the only one eating and drinking since Rei couldn't, at least nothing they had there.

"You should eat something from here."

"I can't."

That made Lee stopped, "What do you mean you can't?"

"I can't. Anything I get would be too much."

"You're joking, right? You could eat as much as any of us."

"Ever since I came back from Russia…"

"Was does everything go back to there?"

"That's where it started."

"Damn, if only we've known…"

"I'm sure there would've been nothing you could've done."

"Why wasn't Kai protecting you?"

"Because I was probably protecting him. He might've not known anything that was happening to me… He didn't know anything. He doesn't know how I got any of my injuries or scars."

"It's not fair. He should be the one that paid, not you."

"It's my job to protect him, remember? I have to be willing to do anything for that end."

"I'm going to talk to that Krypton…"

"No one is supposed to know about it so don't."

"Fine, but if you suffer throughout your life, someone is going to pay for it."

Rei looked at the table, wishing that Lee didn't say that. Lee went back to eating.

"Hey, we're back!" Mariah said as they entered the apartment.

"Great! What did you get us?" Lee asked.

"These!" Mariah pulled out a green and a panda one. She walked up to them, "This one is for Lee." It was the green one, "and this one is for Rei."

"Why?" Rei was hoping this was a big joke.

"I thought it would look cute on you." She was playing the sweet eyes.

"If anything else, I'll just get a tan."

"She thought you would resist." She came right up to his ear, "She said that she took pictures of you while on the ship."

Rei's eyes widened as he looked at her, "What is she planning?"

"That this is no different. Plus, she'll show them to everyone else."

"Fine." At least it wasn't too embarrassing. "I'll just tell everyone that I had no choice." Rei smiled.

"Great! Oh, and we're leaving during the night of tomorrow."

"Okay, at least you're having fun with us."

"Yeah!"

"Can we have dinner?" Gary asked.

"Sure." They all walked out.

"Dad, can Ed use your equipment?" Max asked when they got home.

"Yea, show him where it is."

"Okay." They went into the back room and all his equipment was there. "You can get started. I'm going to ask Kenny if he has any parts I can use."

"Okay, and what if he doesn't?"

"Then I have to ask Krypton and Jade."

Max sent an email to Kenny and he got a response fast. Kenny said that he didn't have any spares but he was near Jade right now so Krypton would be by his house some time to give him the parts. "Ed, Krypton will be by later."

"Okay. I might be working all night."

"Do you want me to bring you dinner then?"

"If you don't mind."

"Okay." Max went up to his dad to see Krypton walking in with his gang behind him.

"May I help you?" His father was nervous about them being there.

"There you are." Krypton walked up to them.

"Krypton, do you have to walk like that?" Max said.

"I have to keep up an image. Sorry, Mr. Tate." He placed a bag on the counter. "You wanted parts, here they are. And be at the park early if you haven't heard."

"Right."

They walked out, with Krypton walking with an atmosphere of control and fear. "See ya tomorrow." He said before completely leaving.

"That was Krypton?" His father asked.

"Yea. Don't worry. He really is a nice guy."

"Why did you need parts?"

Max grabbed the bag, "Ed wants to try something he thought up."

"It has to do with the circles, right?"

"Yea. Oh, whenever dinner is ready, Ed is going to eat it in the room since he will be working all night."

"Okay… Next time, have only Krypton come here or Jade."

"Right." Max went back into the room. "We got the parts."

"That was fast." Ed looked up at him.

"I know, but you can't complain, right?"

"So tell me what each part is."

"Okay." Max showed him every part that was in the bag. He also separated each part into a pile. "So I'll leave you to your work."

"Okay. Thanks." Ed smiled before going back to work.

Max went up and helped his dad make dinner. When he went to serve Ed his, he was in deep thought. "Ed?"

"Uh? Oh, thanks." Ed said. Max sat down his dinner and he began eating. Max was eating too. "You don't have to eat with me."

"That's okay. How far have you gotten?"

"I got the axis build and I figured out how to build a Beyblade, but I still can't figure out how to recall the point."

"So that's still causing problems."

"Yea, but we can still try it out after dinner."

"Okay!" They finished eating and went outside. Max placed it in his launcher. "Three, two, one, Let it Rip!" He launched it onto the ground. "What should we call this thing?"

"What thing?" Ed tilted his head.

"The thing you put in it. It has to have a name."

Ed thought about it, "How about "Array formation"?"

"That works. Array Formation!" The point came out and it was marking the ground. It was much thinner than the one that his own blade did.

"Okay, let's try metal." Ed tossed a square of metal on the ground.

"Go!" The blade went on it and left a mark, but it wasn't that deep and it didn't cut through it.

"Alright!" Ed said.

Max caught it in his hands. "You just wanted to see if it could cut through things?"

"I wanted to make sure that it could leave marks. Now you have to develop a defensive style to add this in."

"Right!"

"You guys better head to bed! It's getting late." Mr. Tate said.

"Right Dad." He pulled his head back through the window.

"We'll test it on the sands as well." Ed said.

"Right." They headed back inside.

Rei got his kin to the spot early. Mariah had made the lunch for everyone. Kevin was helping her carry some of it since she made a lot.

"Why do you meet here?" Lee asked.

"It was set before I came here. I don't know why." Rei answered.

"Why do we have to come so early?" Kevin whined.

"To get more time in?" Rei knew that they would only know when they got there and not before.

Max came up to the spot and saw Rei there. "Ed, I was hoping that we could talk a bit more before someone came."

"That's okay. Have fun!" Ed walked away and Max went up to them

"Hi guys. Long time no see." Max said with a smile.

"Hi Max." Mariah said. Max noticed that they were wearing their normal outfits. He was wearing his swimming suit and a shirt. He was also carrying a bag with towels and other things that they might need.

"What's in the bag?" Kevin asked.

"Some things that we might need. I'm sure that Jade had prepared well enough to make sure that we had fun while there."

"That's right, isn't there some Japanese pastime for a beach?" Rei asked.

"Yea, how did you know?" Max was excited.

"Oh, it was just something that I picked up. Let's see… There was volleyball, melon smashing, swimming in the water… That's about all I can remember."

"Would you stop it?" Lee asked.

Max was surprised by their anger that he saw within their eyes. "Is there something wrong with him knowing Japanese culture?"

"It's not the culture that we don't like. It's how he got that information." Mariah said.

"How did he get that information?"

"It's nothing important, right?" Rei looked over to his kin.

"Yea, it's not important." Lee said.

Max didn't really understand why this was a secret topic. He wondered if Kai knew.

"Yo!" They turned around to see Tyson and Kenny coming up to them. "Are you guys ready?" Tyson asked.

"Yep, do you know when Kai and they are coming?" Max asked.

"They didn't tell us." Kenny said.

"Because we're here." They turned around to see Jade, Kai and Krypton. Jade walked up to Mariah, "Did he?"

"He did." Mariah smiled.

"Okay, we're taking the bus over to the beach and it will be here any moment." Krypton said.

Jade was wearing a loose shirt and a beach bag. Krypton was wearing a tank top and sunglasses. Kai was wearing his regular outfit. Tyson and Kenny were definitely wearing beach wear. Right then, the bus came and everyone got on. Max made sure that no one noticed that Ed jumped on the bus as they were driving away.

At the beach, everything was already set up. There were a few people from the gang that were there. "Everything is ready, Krypton." One reported.

"Good. You may leave."

They bowed to him before they went on the bus to leave.

"Who are they?" Lee asked.

"They're my underlings. I had them set everything up so we don't have to." Krypton said. "It's early in the day so you guys can do whatever you want." He pulled out a towel and laid on it.

"Rei, do you want to go into the water?" Max asked as everyone else was setting up.

"Let me see if I can stand it." Rei went over to the water and had the waves touch his arms. His ankles and wrist were fine, but his new cuts stung a bit. He remembered that salt water is good for cleaning so he thought that there was no harm in it. "Okay."

He walked back to his stuff and took off his tank top.

"Wow! That's an awesome tattoo. Where did you get it?" Tyson asked, making everyone look that didn't know.

"I made him get it for his new image. Isn't it cool?" Mariah said.

"It's wicked."

"By why only them?" Max asked, seeing that it was only Kai's, Jade's, Krypton's and Rei's Bit Beast.

"If you're jealous then notice that we are also not on there." Lee said.

"Don't worry about it Max." Rei took off his pants to reveal the swimming suit that Mariah got him.

Max turned red.

"Where did you get that?" Tyson asked.

"Mariah got it. And if I refused, Jade would show the pictures from the ship." Rei said in his defense.

"You took pictures?" Kai looked at her.

"Yep!" She smiled.

"And you should've kept the dress." Krypton said with an evil smile.

"I told you not to look." Jade looked at her brother.

"I didn't, I was searching for images of the Yami Hunters when I came upon it. Hey, don't forget to take your arm off before going into the water."

"I know, I'm not as dumb as you." She moved around her right forearm before it came off with the metal band attached to it.

"When did you have a fake arm?" Max asked, remembering about Ed's auto mail.

"Ever since we joined the gang." She said, "My arm was cut off by some people."

"And you can't go into the water with it?" Max was starting to worry that Ed couldn't either.

"If I did, it would fry me. It's basically a computer since I can also increase the rotation of my Blade and control the sounds to the keyboard that this one plays."

Max remembered that Ed's arm is attached to his nerves, so they are most likely un-similar in that department.

"So that's why you have the launcher in your right hand. I was always wondering that." Kenny said.

"Now explain how you were able to take pictures since I know that you didn't have a camera." Kai said.

"Figure it out, stupid. Her arm is a computer with multiple functions." Krypton said.

Kai narrowed his eyes, realizing the camera. Jade smiled as she lay her arm down. "Come on Kai; let's head to the waters too!" She grabbed his hand since he was already undress and pulled him to the waters.

"Let's go, Max." Rei said with a smile.

Max nodded, trying to hide his red face.

All the BladeBreakers were in the waters, having a good time. As other people came by the beach, Krypton was the only one that was watching their things.

"Is that way you wanted us to come early?" Kenny asked.

"Yep. Crowds can really be annoying."

"Cannon Ball!" Tyson yelled after jumping off a big rock.

Everyone in their group was hit by the direct wave in some way. Rei noticed that some of the people were riding boards on the waves.

"Max, do you know what they're doing?" Rei pointed to the people.

"Oh, they're surfing."

"Do you know how to do it?"

"I understand how to but I never did. Are you interested?"

"It looks fun."

"They might lend you a board if you ask. If not, I'll have Krypton ask one of his underlings to get one and bring it." Jade said.

"It looks kinda dangerous." Mariah said, seeing someone falling off. "You could get hurt."

"I think we should have a contest, Rei." Lee said.

"As soon as we find out what we can do."

"Okay, let's go ask." Max led Rei, Lee and Tyson out of the water.

"You should go with them." Jade whispered to Kai as the rest walked out of the water.

"Why?" Kai shielded her arm so no one could see that there wasn't one there.

"I think it would be interesting to see you surf, that's all."

"Maybe later."

All four were on the waves, but they weren't having too many successes. Rei seemed to have a handle faster than the others, with Lee coming in after him. They seemed to be following this guy's lead as well.

"Are you guys okay?" Mariah asked when they came back.

"Yeah! That was sure fun. Kai, you should've come along with us." Tyson said.

"Did you two have that contest?" Kevin asked, looking at Rei and Lee.

"Yea, and Rei won." Lee said sourly.

"You know it was just luck." Rei tried to sound modest.

"You're a faster learner, Rei. So it wasn't all luck." Max said with a smile.

Kai got up, "There seems to be a rental store a little up. I'm going to see if there's something interesting there."

"When did you learn this?" Krypton asked.

"The people around us have been talking, deaf boy."

"Fine." Krypton got up as well, "Let's find it."

They walked away with anger being felt from both.

Jade sighed, "I can't believe Krypton sometimes."

"Why are they mad at each other?" Mariah asked.

"Krypton is nervous and since he can't show that side, he's expressing it as anger."

"Then why is Kai responding to it in anger as well?" Tyson asked.

"Because Kai doesn't know how to respond to it so he thought the best way is to give it back to him. Though I don't think that it's working too well."

"I'm going to see what food vendors they have. Be right back." Max said before taking off.

Max was looking for Ed, knowing that he couldn't hide too easily with his metal arm. He spotted him in the water and went over there to him. "How's your arm?"

"Did you know that this was a public beach?"

"Not until recently."

"Oh… Well, I did grab enough sand for us to take back."

"Okay, I think I know a place were we can place it too."

"When are you guys heading back?"

"I think after lunch. What are you going to do?"

"Let's go underwater. I think I see one of your friends walking along the beach." Ed went under.

Max looked to see that Kai and Krypton were walking back so he went under as well. The water wasn't too clear, but you could see through it. He found Ed and he gave him one of the mask they got.

"Can you hear me?" Ed asked through the radio.

"I can."

"Good. Okay, what should I do?"

"I guess I have to think up an excuse for your arm."

"That's true. Oh, once you think up one, I'll move closer to you."

"Okay. Hm? Let's see…" Max thought about this hard before coming up with one, "Tell people that you're testing a new kind of metal and that you happened to make it to fit your arm."

"Would that work?"

"I'm pretty sure. By the way, did you see any food vendors?"

"Yea, they're all down that way. They were closed when we arrived."

"Okay, so they should be opened now. Thanks and I'll see you when we get home."

"Right."

Max handed back the mask and went back up to the surface before heading to shore.

"Did you find any?" Kevin asked.

"Yea, but they're all a bit far." Max guessed. "Did you guys find anything interesting at the rental store?"

"They do have jet skis that we can rent but they are a bit pricy. They also have boats that we can rent as well." Krypton said.

"They are also the only one for a long while as well." Kai added.

"What are jet skis?" Lee asked.

"You see those things over there?" Krypton pointed to the people riding on engine boat kind of things. "Those are jet skis."

"Rei?" Lee looked at him.

"How much are they?" Rei looked at Krypton.

"We can get some for about five people."

"Krypton and I are getting one, so does anyone else?" Kai asked.

"Okay, Lee and I will too." Rei said.

"I will too." Max said.

"Then the rest of us will be in a boat." Jade said.

"I think I'll sit this one out." Gary said.

"Kevin, you stay with him and make sure that he doesn't eat the food." Mariah said.

"Why me?"

"Because I need to make sure that they don't get hurt."

"Fine."

"Then after this, we'll play some volleyball." Jade said with a smile.

"Okay, we'll be right back." Mariah said as they all walked along.

The rental place was on a dock and it looked impressive. Krypton and Jade were the ones that were paying for everything. Lee and Rei were having a race back over to their spot as the others with a jet ski were following close behind. Tyson and Kenny were rowing the boat since Jade only had one arm and Mariah was keeping her company.

"Do you know if this is a good spot for fishing?" Mariah asked.

"I don't really know. Kenny, do you know?" Jade asked.

"It's not around this area. If you go out more, I'm sure that it would be a better spot."

"Krypton, could you guys come back for a moment?" Jade yelled so they could hear her.

They all turned back around. "You say something?" Krypton asked.

"Yea, could you go back and get a buck and a rod. Mariah wants to try her luck in fishing."

"Fine." He headed back to the rental store.

"Okay, while he's getting that, we'll head to the deeper parts."

They all headed out to sea a bit more. Krypton came back shortly with the rod and buck and handed it over to Jade before joining the other guys. After a while, Rei started to notice that the fishes were gathering around the top.

"Mariah, are you having any luck?" Rei asked.

"Not really, why?"

"We'll see if we can't get you some." Rei went over to the others, "Guys, the fish are gathering near the top. Why don't we see if we can't gather them around the boat for Mariah?"

"I think that's a great idea." Lee said.

"Is she not having any luck?" Max asked.

"Nope." Rei answered.

"Okay then, let's have a fish drive!" Krypton said and they all were herding the fish over to the boat. Mariah was able to get fish this way, but they weren't having too much luck with actually moving them. They were having fun trying.

"Okay, I got enough." Mariah said.

They all stopped and started to head back to them when they heard a splash. They looked to see that Max's jet ski was vacant of him. Kai went over but Max wasn't coming back up. Kai jumped into the water to look for him. Rei went over and jumped in after him.

Kai was immediately in the school of fish. They were all swarming around him, making it hard to see anything. He managed to spot Max, who looked unconscious and was falling slowly, thanks to the fish. He swam down to him, but it was starting to become a little denser. Before he couldn't move, he managed to grab Max's hand. He noticed that Max was closer to the bottom so he moved them down and got out of the school. He started to swim up but noticed that a dolphin was coming at them with great speed. Rei suddenly knocked right into it, moving it down a bit. Rei told Kai to head up. Kai nodded and went straight up.

Once he hit the surface, he pulled Max onto his jet ski and was catching his breath for a moment.

"Are you okay?" Krypton asked.

"Where's Rei?" Lee asked.

Kai listened to Max's breathing, hearing it a bit. So he just applied pressure to his chest to get the water out. He got out the water from his lungs.

"Answer me Kai!" Lee said.

"He's still down there."

"We… need to go back down…" Max said, gaining air in his lungs.

"He can take care of himself." Kai hoped.

Rei was able to keep the male dolphin busy so Kai could get back up with Max. Now, he couldn't think up a way for him to leave. He knew that if you attack the gills that they would leave, but that was on sharks. He was able to get a bit on his arm, but Rei made sure that he couldn't get deeper. Byakko merged into Rei and pushed open his mouth. He went above the dolphin and silt across the air hole at the top. The dolphin screamed in pain and ran away so he went up to the surface. Along the way, Rei regained control.

He was breathing hard when he reached the surface.

"Rei!" Lee came over and helped him up on his jet ski. "Are you okay?"

"Yea, and I always thought that dolphins were peaceful creatures." Rei said with a tired smile. "Max, Kai, are you two okay?"

"We're fine." Kai said. Max was lying across Kai's ski, still catching his breath.

Lee went over to Rei's ski and Rei got on it.

"Did anyone bring a first aid kit?" Krypton asked.

"No, why?" Jade asked.

"Tyson, head back to the store and get some. We'll follow shortly."

"Right." He and Kenny started to row back.

"Krypton, it's fine." Rei said.

"Better to be sure."

Kai and Lee looked to see why Krypton sent them back. Rei had blood dripping from his arm.

Kai got Max in a better position so he wouldn't fall off. "Krypton…"

"I know. Lee, you help Rei." Krypton grabbed Max's ski and Lee grabbed Rei's and they all headed back.

"Well, at least you won." Tyson said when they all got back to their spot. Mariah was attending Rei's wound.

"Yea, how are you holding up Max?" Rei looked over at him.

"A lot better. Thanks."

"Kai was the first to jump in after you." Rei smiled.

Even though Max didn't want to, "Thanks Kai."

"No problem." Kai was watching Rei's mouth, since he didn't know how to respond to something like this. He would've said something more heart-warming, but he didn't feel comfortable in saying it in front of others.

"Does everyone still want to play a game of volleyball?" Jade asked.

"Yea. Okay Rei, you're all dressed now." Mariah said.

"Thanks."

"So now it's your turn to watch the food. Max, you might as well rest too." Mariah looked at him.

"Okay." Max couldn't object to it.

Everyone went over to the net that they set up and started to play a game. Rei lied down and was absorbing the sun's rays. He didn't relax too much, afraid of something coming up again.

"Rei, it's okay if you sleep. You're the one that fought so you need it." Max said with a smile.

"I'm not tired." Though he really was but he couldn't go to sleep.

"You're fighting to stay awake. It's okay, I'll watch the food."

"I don't want my body to go through another memory that I can't see."

"Oh…" Max didn't know what to say, since the last time he tried to help, he somehow made it worse. "Is there anything I can do that will ease that fear?"

Rei thought about it but nothing came to him. "I can't think of anything."

"How about if you leaned on my shoulder? The last time you had one you were laying down."

Rei was willing to try it, since his body hasn't fully overcome the amount of blood he lost when he cut himself and bleeding in the water was only taking it out a bit faster. "Okay." He also knew that Byakko wouldn't try to get out if he knew that someone other than Kai was around. He got up and Max moved over to him. Rei fell asleep fast like this.

When they were done playing a game, they noticed that Rei was sleeping on Max.

"Why is Rei sleeping?" Kevin asked.

"He was tired." Max said plainly.

"Either that dolphin was strong or Rei is getting weaker very day." Lee said.

"Why only those two possibilities?" Tyson asked.

"Only when Rei was exhausted to his absolute limit would he fall asleep in public. Otherwise, he would wait." Mariah said.

Kevin poked his face and that didn't stir him. "Yep, he's out."

"This is so unlike him though." Lee commented.

"Ever thought he has enough trust in us to show this weak side of his?" Kai stated.

"Meaning?" Lee looked at him.

"That he doesn't see us as teammates anymore, but as friends, as people that he know he can tell things to and they'll try their best to help him."

"Are you saying that he wouldn't do that for us?" Mariah asked with anger.

"I'm saying that his level of trust for us has risen. He probably already trusts you with his life, but I'm sure that he can't say the same for us yet." Though Kai knew Rei can't tell them everything; that he could only trust Wu and her friends to show his absolute weak side. Kai might be in that circle, but he wasn't sure.

"Max, would you like someone else to watch him?" Jade asked in her motherly voice.

"That's okay. He was worried that he might have another memory so I thought that this would help."

"Oh, okay. We'll bring back something for you then." They went out to smash the watermelon they had. They were making a game out of it.

"I see that you're getting your wish."

Max looked over to see Ed. "Good thing that Rei is sound asleep."

"Yea. I'll launch the blade to see how it does."

"Okay, you know how to, right?"

"Yea. I've watched ya." He placed it in the launcher and pulled the rip cord. "Array Formation!" The point came out and it dig nicely into the sand.

"And it doesn't leave any extra marks in the sand." Max commented.

"So now all we need is to have a way to recall it."

"You better go before someone looks this way."

"Right. Have fun." Ed smiled before walking away.

Max looked at Rei and remembered what Kai said. That he trust them enough to show his weak side. Max moved his bang a bit, but it fell right back.

When they came back from the vendors, they started lunch. Rei was still asleep, though no one was too worried about it. Max was eating with one hand since he didn't want to move the other. Mariah got a fire going and was cooking the fish that she caught on a stick while placing them near the fire. Tyson was showing the White Tigers his love for food.

"Good thing that you can eat a lot. I was beginning to worry that we'll have food leftover." Mariah said as they were packing up.

"I do love to eat." Tyson said with a smile.

"Max, you might want to see if you can get Rei up." Jade said.

"Right," he looked at him, "Hey, Rei? We're leaving now."

He didn't move.

"Try talking to him in English." Kai offered.

" Rei? You have to wake up now. We're about to leave. "

Rei mumbled something, causing Lee to through something at him, "+Rei, get up+"

Rei rubbed the back of his head, "+What was that for+" He looked at Lee.

"You know what you said." Lee picked up his things and started walking. The other White Tigers followed his lead.

"Are you okay?" Max asked. "Sorry, I didn't know that he would throw something at you."

"It's okay and I'm fine." Rei looked at his hand. "Man, he didn't have to throw something to get his point across." Rei got up but almost fell down again.

Max caught him and helped him up. "Are you sure that you're okay?"

"Yea… How long was I asleep for?"

"It's a bit pass noon by now." Krypton said.

"So that means that lunch is over… and I was hoping to see if I could stomach anything." He said with a little smile.

"Don't worry about your things, we'll get them. You two start heading over to the bus." Jade said.

"Okay." Max said and was helping Rei to get to the bus.

"Sorry for sleeping that long. I was only planning for a nap." Rei said.

"That's okay. I didn't mind."

"That's good… What did I say anyway?"

"You mean when you woke up? I don't know. It was something in your native tongue. Unless Lee knows another language."

"Okay, I'll ask him then." Rei's eyes widened, "Max, could you stop for a moment?"

Max stopped and Rei felt his head again. This time, blood was on his head.

"He threw hard enough to draw blood!" Max exclaimed.

"Not really. I have an injury up there and he hit it. Who has the first aid kit?"

"Mariah I think."

"We better get to them then." Rei got off Max and started to walk.

"If you're still feeling ill, you can lean on me for support."

"Thanks Max and I know that I can." Rei smiled, "But I think I gained enough strength for this small trip."

"Okay." Max wished that he didn't, but didn't argue.

The rest of the team was gathering their things for them.

"Kai, do you know what Rei said?" Jade asked.

"He said "Mom, you always have five more minutes"."

"Why would he say that to Max?" Krypton asked.

"It's his mind."

"And another question is why were the White Tigers mad that he said that?" Kenny asked more to himself.

"We could always ask them." Tyson offered.

"They probably wouldn't tell us." Kai said. "They're not very open to outsiders to begin with."

"That's true. Okay, let's head on out." Jade said and they all went walking over to the bus.

On the bus ride, Rei was fixing up his head at the back of the bus. Lee already apologized, but they were saying in their native tongue that he shouldn't talk about his fake mother anymore. That seemed to put him in a mood that none of his teammates have seen him in before. Kai wanted to go back to talk to him, but he wasn't sure as to what Rei would do in this state and he was a bit worried to ask the other White Tigers because he would then have to explain how he understands their language.

At the apartment, Rei allowed them to take a shower first. He was cooking something little for himself, but he still wasn't really talking to them. He was speaking to them, but he spoke in Egyptian. After a while, they just gave up, but they never apologized for what they said.

"What was going on during the ride home?" Ed asked.

"The White Tigers were saying something to Rei and that got him mad. He was talking to them, but I guess it was in another language since they didn't understand anything he said."

"Do you know what they said?"

"I wish I did."

"Well, I need to talk to you guys about something. It's for the next step for your training."

"Okay." They went inside.

Ed explained to Mr. Tate that this was for some vacation since Max has been working so hard. He brought out a map and pointed to an island and said that they would be spending about a month there or less. He approved of it, but he told Max to tell Jade about this so she would know.

"That went rather well." Ed said when Max came out of the shower.

"Why are we going to an island?"

"It's something that my master did so I'm doing the same. I'm also going to be teaching you the principles there as well as fighting techniques."

"Okay. I'll tell Jade tomorrow then."

"Okay."

":See ya guys:" Rei said with a smile as they were leaving.

They all smiled at him. ":We'll see you later then.:" Lee said and they left to get on their plane.

Rei walked away, knowing fully well that they can never know everything. Their village as turned their minds into something that it shouldn't really be. He felt his head, knowing what not to say to them. When he got back home, he took a shower and a bath, wanting to calm himself down.

Kai and Jade were outside on the roof of the building that Jade and Krypton live in. It was a warm evening, so they thought that they should enjoy it.

"Are you going over there?" Jade asked.

"Yea… I'm not staying long though."

"That's okay… do you know what they were saying?"

"Yea, they were talking about Rei's fake mother… Rei was answering them but in Egyptian."

"When did you know Egyptian?"

He took out the hearing aids, "Bastetka gave Rei these. They allow the wearer to hear another language and understand it."

"That's really cool. Don't you have to take them out?"

"Nope. There's also a translator box that allows one to speak in another language. I don't have that since I'm not really interested in having it yet."

"Does he have extras?"

"I think he has one for everyone."

"That's cool."

Later on in the evening, Kai went over to Rei's apartment. He didn't really feel right about going there, but he put that aside. He took a deep breath before knocking on the door.

Byakko was out since Rei was too tired to care what he did. Byakko was staying in the room since he could sense Rei's frustration. When the knock came, he was wondering who it was.

"Rei, are you up?" It was Kai! Byakko went to the door and opened it. Kai blinked a few times before Byakko jumped on him and hugged him around the neck. "So I get to see you. Is Rei okay?"

Byakko nodded his head with a big smile.

"Can you not… Let's head inside before someone sees." Kai got him inside and closed the door. Byakko jumped on the bed and was waiting for Kai to come over. Kai was getting nervous about it, somehow feeling used. "Can you speak?"

Byakko shook his head.

"Can you write?"

Byakko thought about it before going to get a brush, ink, and paper. He wrote something down and showed it to Kai. It was messy but still readable and it said that his name was… "Byakko?"

He nodded happily.

"Okay, we're off to a good start. So, why do you come out without Rei telling you?"

Byakko tilted his head, as if saying that Kai should remember.

"If it was anything about the night I ended up in that bed, I don't remember anything of it."

Byakko's eyes were threatening to let water come out. Kai went over to him. "What's wrong?"

Byakko laid his head on Kai's shoulder, shedding the tears. Kai patted his back. "Is everything okay?"

Byakko got another paper and asked if he could teach him how to say his name and Rei's name.

So, Kai spent his time there, teaching Byakko how to pronounce their names.

"Kai." Byakko said perfectly. Kai noticed that his voice is similar to Rei's, probably due to the body, but much younger or innocent sounding. "Rei."

"That's perfect." Kai smiled, making Byakko smiled as well.

"Okay, I better get going. Tell Rei that I stopped by and that you were well behaved." Kai patted his head carefully.

Byakko nodded with a smile.

"What kind of animal are you anyway?"

Byakko pulled out Rei's blade and pointed to Driger.

"You're a tiger." He nodded. "Good. You're very adorable." Kai got up and walked out.

Byakko fell on the bed with lovely, dreamy eyes.

That's cute… but that's going to cause problems for Rei… Hopefully they can get through this… Poor Rei, he can't trust any of his clansmen because they don't want him to talk about someone. Well, at least someone is willing to help him. Jade can be really manipulative when she wants to be. I wonder if everyone else is seeing that Max is falling to Rei… I hope that you guys saw that… I mean, it is obvious… and he does tell Ed about it… Ed himself is a really cool person… He comes here and helps Max without everything thinking about it… Well, I'm sure he does, but that's a different story… I wondered what he's going to teach him on that island… maybe it's something really cool… I guess we'll just have to wait and see! Bye!


	13. Chap 12 Swordsmanship Brings Control

HEY! This is the first time that something didn't happen the next day! Seriously! This one is taking place a few days after! Isn't that wonderful news! It's like a change to the constancy to the story… Or something… or maybe it's nothing?... That's a new thought. What if this starting on a later date isn't something to get all excited about? What if this is just because nothing of importance happened after the last night and today? Well… I guess that would be the only way to explain this rare occurrence, huh? I mean, there's no other explanation, right? Or is there some other picture that I'm not getting or seeing? If there is, I guess I'll find out now!

Rei was waiting outside of his restaurant. Max had told him yesterday that he needed to talk to him early in the morning about something. Rei was debating over and over again if he should actually go over to that man's house. Jinochi told him that whatever he decided should be for himself and no one else. Kai and Jade haven't been around and he didn't really feel like searching for them. He thought it would be better if he got some work in. After all, he is an employee there, however temporary it might be.

"Rei!" Max came running up to him. "Glad you waited. No one is waiting for you inside, right?"

"The restaurant isn't opened so no one is even here. What's up?"

"I know that I should be telling Jade this, but I'm going on a camp trip with a friend. It's supposed to be a secret, but I didn't want her to get mad."

"Where is this campsite?"

"We're going to an island and he was the one that picked it out. We're leaving this morning as well."

"So you want me to tell her. Why didn't you tell her before this or was it a sudden thing?"

"Are you mad that I didn't tell her?" Max looked hurt, "I'll find her now if you are and…"

"I'm sorry Max. I just have other things on my mind. I'll tell her. Have fun on your trip."

"Thanks Rei. Oh, we shouldn't be back for about a month but tell her that I'm bringing Draciel to train."

"That's a long time." He thought that camping trips last for about a week or two at most. "I'll let her know."

"Thanks so much Rei. See ya when I get back." Max smiled before running off.

As Rei watched his happy friend leaving his sight, he decided that he was going to go see that man today. He wanted to know how he could help him. He went up to his room and grabbed a few things. He was going to stay with this guy for as long as it took because he wanted the help.

He waited by the door for his boss to walk up. "Rei, what are you doing here so early?" He asked as he opened the door.

"I'm letting you know that I'm going to go to this place," he held the paper that the guy wrote on, "I'm not sure how long I'll be gone but he said that he will try to help me."

"Jinochi hasn't told me anything about what's going on with you, if you told him anything. He will be worried until you get back though. But, if you feel like this will help, go for it." His boss brought out a piece of paper and a pen. He wrote down a number, "If you need anything for any reason, this is Jinochi's number."

"Thanks. I'm sorry that I keep doing this to you."

"It's quite alright. I know that you have a grand future and adventure waiting for you so you have to be allowed the freedom to move." He smiled a kind one. "If you have anything else to do, you better do it before heading off."

"Right. See ya when I get back." Rei ran off to find Kai and Jade.

He was staking out their hideout. It wasn't that busy for the morning, but soon enough, they walked outside hand and hand. Rei ran down the fire escape to catch up to them.

"Rei, what are you doing here?" Jade asked with surprise in her voice.

"Max is going on a camping trip for about a month with a friend and I'm going somewhere for a while as well."

"Where are you going?" She asked.

"To here." He showed her the paper with the direction.

"This is in Tokyo. Well, more like the outskirts of it." Jade said.

"Then that's where I'll be." He put it back in its spot.

"Why are you going there?" Kai asked.

"Personal reasons." He figured that's all Kai needed to know what it was for.

"What about Max's training?" Jade asked.

"He brought Draciel with him."

"Why didn't he tell me himself?"

"I don't know and I thought it was better that I didn't ask. Well, I want to get a head start to this place."

"Don't worry. We'll doing something while you guys are away." Kai said.

"Okay, have fun."

"Here's my cell number. Just incase." Jade said as she gave him a paper with a number. He took the pen she was using and wrote the kanji for jade.

"Okay." He went back up the ladder to get to the roof.

"I really hope this helps him." Kai said as they watched him get onto the roof and disappear.

"I hope so too… Let's go grab Tyson and Kenny."

"Why?" Kai looked at her.

"Because, you two might as well get some team practice in." She smiled.

"But we don't have any opponents." He said as she started to walk away.

"You two could probably work on your coordination anyway. The best way to kill time." She smiled.

"I thought a nice walk would kill time." He wrapped his arm around her waist.

"That's if we were all here." She kissed him. "C'mon, it's the best way to bond. You two weren't on friendly terms before so this will help."

"Fine." He smiled, since he couldn't really argue against her.

"You're lucky that I know that house, kid. Are you one of his new students or are you running away to get trained by him?" The driver asked.

"He asked me to come by whenever I wanted. All I know is his name. What does he teach?" Rei figured if this guy was willing to talk, he should at least get as much information out of him.

"You know his name? Wow, I thought that he still wanted everyone to call him Sensei even his brothers are back. He teaches kendo."

"That's Japanese sword, right?"

"Are you a foreigner?" He seemed surprised.

"Yeah, I'm Chinese."

"Have you ever lived here?"

"Nope. Only came here for a few visits."

"WOW! I couldn't even tell. You don't even have an accent."

"Thanks… I think. How long is it until we reach his house?"

"Not too long. As a matter of fact, that's his house right up there." He pointed to a house that looked a bit traditional, but not really. Rei was really amazed that he had the ocean on one side and a forest on the other.

The driver stopped at the foot of the hill, "This is where I drop you off. Good luck."

"Thanks." Rei got out and watched the bus drive away. He made his way up the hill, glad that he decided to come early.

"I did not think you would come this early." Sage said when he answered the door.

"I wanted to get a head start. Another friend is going to be out for a while so I thought that this would be a good time."

"It is fortunate that I do not have to teach today as well. Come inside." He stepped aside to allow Rei to enter. The house was made out of wood.

"You have a nice house. Why is it so big?"

"Incase I need to host many guest or family. My wife is out at work right now so I am afraid that you might not see her."

"That's okay. So what do you want me to do first?"

"How about you mediate for a while? To clear your mind before I begin anything." He led him to a room that was in Yoma's house. "You can either lie down or sit. I think the lights should be off…"

"Please, keep them on." Rei said, regretting that he was showing him fear.

"Okay. I will. Do you need me to be in there with you?"

Rei was really afraid to have his body remember something. "I'm sorry, but could you."

"Okay, I will stay with you until you are done."

"Thanks."

Rei walked inside very slowly. He was displaying his calm composure as he sat down and closed his eyes.

It didn't take him long to get into the state that he needed to be in and it didn't take him long to get absolute silence in his body and mind.

"I thought we weren't training." Tyson complained as they were walking towards the park.

"And why are you only taking us?" Kenny asked.

"Because the others aren't here so we might as well do something." Jade said.

"What do you mean they're not here?" Tyson was now awake.

"Rei is going to Tokyo for some personal help." Kai answered.

"What about Max?"

Kai and Jade stopped to look at them. "You don't know?" Jade asked.

"No."

"Rei told us that he was going on a camping trip with a friend of his. They would be gone for about a month." Kai said.

"Why did he only tell Rei?" Kenny asked.

"We don't know. But that is very odd. I thought that he would've also told you since you two are kinda close." Jade said.

"There isn't anything we can do about that now." Kai looked at Jade.

"Right, so you two are going to become closer with your blading skills." Jade smiled.

"Yeah, while they're out training, we'll be getting stronger as a team." Tyson said in his energetic tone.

"Yeah." Kai said, allowing a competitive smile on his face.

Rei got himself out of mediation state. He hadn't done that in a long while that it really was refreshing. He noticed that Sage wasn't in front of so he looked behind him to see him there.

He smiled, "You must have a very wise teacher."

"Why say that?"

"To be able to mediate for as long as you did takes many years. Did you start early?"

"Yes, I did."

"But you have not finished your training for it, have you?"

"No, my teacher left before I was complete."

"If another time comes, I could complete it for you. But now, we better get you something to eat." Sage led him to the kitchen.

"I can't eat." Rei said since he doesn't want Sage to waste food.

"Why not?" He didn't really sound surprise, just curious.

"A while ago, I was malnourished and I still haven't recovered from it."

"Have you forced yourself to eat before?"

"Yeah."

"And what was the result?"

"I was really sick. I threw up the food I ate and I was really weak."

"Then let us try this." He went into a refrigerator and pulled out a bottle with water in it. "Do you not care what you taste?"

"I guess not." He didn't really know what he was asking so he wasn't sure how to answer.

"Here you go then." He hand him the bottle. Something was written on it, but Rei couldn't read it. He opened the bottle, "I also can't drink much." He took a sip of it before looking at it with shock. "What is this?"

"It is teriyaki beef with beef flavored rice balls. My brother made that for me."

Rei looked at it and knew that he tasted all of that. He also noticed that it didn't fill his stomach. "Is it okay if I drink some more?" Rei wanted to see how far he could go before he had to stop.

"Yes, it is."

Rei drank more of it while Sage was making breakfast for himself. Rei was able to get to the last drop without ever feeling full, but he could tell that he's stomach was getting the energy it needed. He was really surprised that it had worked.

"I see that you are done. Did you like it?" Sage was sitting down to eat his own meal.

"Yeah… It was good…"

"And I can see that you are getting your natural color back. There are more in the refrigerator if you care for another."

"Thanks." Rei got up and grabbed another. He walked back to the table before opening it. He could taste a meal that they serve at the restaurant that he works at. "How do you make something like this?"

"I will show you later." He went to eating.

"What do you want me to do with the other bottle?" Rei took another sip before asking.

"I will take care of that. Do not worry."

"Do I have an accent when I speak?" Rei noticed that he was being rude since he was still eating, "Sorry. Don't pay any attention to me."

"I do not hear an accent. Did you also learn Japanese at an early age?" Rei was really surprised that answered him and that he didn't seem to mind being disrupted.

"Yeah, I did."

"That explains it. If you learn a language before the age eleven, you should be able to hear it much better. So that must mean that you were taught the Tokyo and Kyoto accents since I am familiar with those."

"Really? I never noticed. Where is Kyoto?"

"It is pretty far from here. You would have to take a train to get there."

"Oh. Sorry for being rude."

"I do not think you are rude. You are just curious and it should be filled." He smiled and finished with his meal. "I will show you how to make these food drinks."

They got up and went into the kitchen. Sage placed the dishes in the dish washer and the bottle that Rei finished, but he removed the label that was on it. He brought out two apples and a thing of water as well as a pan. "What you need is water and speed. But I guess all you really need is speed because my brother is able to do something very interesting with this."

"Is it well-known?"

"This technique?" Rei nodded. "No, only a few knows how to perform this, and only he can do the interesting thing."

"Why don't you learn it?"

"I felt it best for him just to know it. He is its founder. So, let me show you how this is done." He placed the apple in the pan, turned up the heat; once hot enough, he poured the water in and was quickly moving it around. Once the apple was no longer there, only the water, Sage poured it into a bottle nearby. "Taste it."

Rei grabbed it and sipped. "It really is there."

"Would you like to try?" Sage was offering him the handle of the pan.

Rei took it and placed the apple in it. He poured in the water and was able to move the pan as fast as Sage. When he noticed that the apple wasn't there, he poured it into another bottle since the first one was full. He sipped the one he made to taste the apple there. "Wow."

"The concept is the same for all other meals."

"This is really amazing. Thanks." Rei knew this was his cure from his hunger.

Sage turned off the stove, "Would you like to talk outside?" He motioned with his hand.

"Sure." Rei wanted to see how the ocean looked for high above.

They walked outside to the deck and Rei went to the railing. It was really awesome and it looked so clear. He looked at the beach to see that it looked like snow, much different from the one that they were at five days before but much like the one he went to.

"The view is breath-taking. When there is a full moon out in the sky and there are no clouds, you wish it could last forever." Sage was standing next to him.

"Why is the beach so white?" Rei looked at him.

"I own the beach, a bit of the ocean, and a good amount of the forest."

"How can you own something like that?"

"It is part of my property. I do not allow too many people on it so it can stay as pure as possible."

"Wow… That's really cool. I was at a beach not too long ago and it wasn't as nearly as white as yours."

"I do take care of it, the same with the trees and the water."

"You must really like nature."

"Yes, I do." He smiled. "Is there anything you want to see in Tokyo?"

"I thought you were going to help me."

"I am, but we have all day and I do not want you to push yourself into telling me anything, unless you want to talk now."

"I'm not sure where to begin…"

"And I do not think I need to teach you anything. My offer to see Tokyo still stands."

"I don't know what's in Tokyo."

"That would be a problem. What are you interested in?"

"The past of Japan and Beyblades." Rei remembered that he couldn't train and looked at his arm.

"You are apart of the World Champion team, right?"

"How did you know?" Rei looked at him, thinking that he wouldn't know something like that.

"I do have students who spend their time learning the sport than practicing. They are also the ones that argue to have a stadium place at the dojo."

"Can I see the dojo that you work at?"

"It is a start and I think you will like it there." They went inside and Sage picked up the phone.

"Who are you calling?"

"My sister since I am unable to drive."

"Oh."

"Yayoi, could you come pick me up? I need to head over to the dojo………… It is, but I have a guest that would like to see it. Do not bother if you are busy………………… Thanks." He placed the phone back, "She will be here shortly."

"Do I call you by your names or family name?"

"You can call us by our real names." Sage smiled.

"Okay."

After a while, the door opened, "Sage, are you and your guest ready?" A female voice asked.

Rei looked at the door to see a brown haired lady that was dressed very formal. "Hello." Rei bowed.

"Oh, hello." She smiled as she bowed. "And what is your name?"

"My name is Rei Kon."

"You look Chinese."

"I am." He was wondering why she was asking these.

"Let's go." She smiled, to show her friendliness.

Rei is always amazed by the city that he normally looks around when he first enters in. The place was really busy, much like all the other ones that he has seen. He picks a few people and imagines what they're doing, where are they going, who they're seeing. While traveling with his friends, he had to keep his wonder and focus down so the others wouldn't know.

"You like the city?" Yayoi asked.

"There's a game that I like to play…" He looked forward as not to look so childish.

"Keep playing your game. It might be a while before we get there. Cities can be really crowded."

Rei didn't know why he felt save here, but he did so he continued his game. It was a while before they got to the dojo. The place was really peaceful and very beautiful. Rei was feeling like he was a kid again, but he didn't really care that he was for some reason. Yayoi was waiting by the car since she was just driving them around.

"This is where I train my students." Sage said as he opened the door.

"This is really big. Do you have lots of students?" Rei walked in to get a good feel of the place. "And I'm not a little kid, no matter how much I'm acting like it."

"I just thought you were enjoying yourself."

"Why am I feeling so relaxed around you? I haven't felt this way in years." Rei turned around to face him. That's when he noticed that Sage was staying at the door. That he hadn't come in.

"I am not sure. It might be that I have that affect on people. I love nature and nature helps people to relax."

"I remember you telling me that you could see my pain. How can you tell that?"

"It is a gift that I have. Yayoi and my younger sister, Satsuki, also have a gift that we had since birth. I can tell when someone is pain."

"What does Yayoi have?"

"She is a natural leader that leads anyone on their right path."

"You're younger sister?"

"She is able to encourage people to do their best."

"So you got stuck with the yin of everything."

"I do not mind it. It helps me help people around me. I know that I can not help everyone, but I can at least make the ones I care for more sound and happy."

"Can you see what causes that pain?" Rei was getting shaky and nervous. He wanted to know what happened to him.

"I can guess that the root of it all is blocked from your memory, that or you are very ashamed to talk about it."

"It's the first but how can you guess that well?"

"It was your body that told me that. Anything you are willing to tell?"

"I was kidnapped from Australia and taken to Russia by an organization that wanted one of my friends. I was mainly their bait, but they had something else in mind than just throwing me in a cell. I don't know what it was, but it couldn't have been anything good. About a week ago, I tried to kill myself twice and I had a really bad episode for the last. Since then, I can feel that death calling me every now and then…"

"How do you fight it?"

"I allow my inner beast to come out. When he's out, I can relax."

"But he is also causing trouble or problems?"

"Yeah. I think he likes, or maybe even loves, one of my friends."

"Why think this?"

"Because he always comes out when h…"

"It is okay, I am just listening."

"… When he's alone…"

"And this inner beast is a different person than you?"

"Yeah."

"I do believe you. Do you want me to help you?"

"That's why I'm here. I don't know what to do."

"Okay, here is what we are going to do. We will get lunch; maybe get some ice cream as well."

"Why? What will that do?"

"I want you to feel comfortable telling anything you want. It will also give you time to think how you want to tell me."

"Okay… You don't think I'm crazy?"

"Has anyone told you that you are?"

"Not yet, but if I was a stranger, I would think my story is a bit hard to swallow."

"I am a firm believer in the mystical and the magical. Yayoi is a spell caster and I have the honor of wearing my family legacy armor. I will show you when we get back."

"Okay."

"I wonder how Rei is doing." Tyson pondered as they were eating lunch. "Hey, how is he doing with eating?" He looked at Kai.

"I haven't seen any improvement in the way he looks or skin."

"Really? Is he starving himself?"

"He might not be doing it on purpose. It might be that he can't find another way. I'm sure he eats as much as he can." Jade said.

"Tyson might have a point. I'll go searching to see if I can find a way to cure malnutrition." Kenny said as he was opening his laptop.

"That might be good. When he can get over one thing, it will lead to a faster recovery for everything else." Kai hoped with everything he had that this was true. He wanted it to be true.

"What's this place?" Rei asked as they entered a building. It was calming and small, nothing like any restaurant he has been to before.

"It's called a café. Our mother loved this one so we come here every now and then. Normally it's when we have something important to talk about." Yayoi explained.

"Oh… Does that include your brothers?"

"I will tell you about them when we get something to eat. What would you like?" Sage asked kindly, not like an adult speaking to a kid.

"I can't read anything."

"So you only learned how to speak?"

"Yeah." Rei didn't answer in a nasty tone because he asked it in a curious way.

Sage started to name everything that they had and what they looked like. When Rei heard about the rice crackers, he asked if he could have that. Yayoi ordered some French or European and coffee. Sage was getting some green tea and shrimp tempura.

"What's coffee anyway?" Rei asked as they were coming to the table with that they ordered. Rei decided that he should pick a table, trusting them enough.

"It's a European drink, or probably a Latin American drink. Would you like to take a sip to see if you like it? It does have caffeine."

"Okay." Rei took the cup and took a sip from it. He didn't like the taste of it at all. "You like drinking it?" He handed it back.

"It's not one of my favorites, but I don't mind it. It's okay if you don't like it. You don't have to."

"Good."

"Would you like me to bring an extra cup?" Sage asked since he brought a tea pot of green tea.

"That's okay." He took a bit from the crackers and found that he was still about to eat more. "So tell me about your brothers." He started to eat more.

"They are not blood related." That really surprised Rei. "We called ourselves siblings because I took care of them during am event."

"And by you caring for them, you grown to love them." Rei said as if it had familiar to him. "What event was this?"

"It was way before you were born so I am doubtful you would know."

"Try me."

"A large part of Tokyo was held captive by a group of people for about two days. No one could get anything in and no one could get anything out. It was taken over so quickly, but it was also released just as suddenly. They managed to get the whole city rebuilt quickly, which no one could explain either."

"I do remember hearing about it and reading it somewhere."

"I thought you couldn't read?" Yayoi asked.

"I read it in China."

"So you always wanted to come here?" Sage asked.

"Yep." Rei smiled.

"A bit before that event happened, my brothers and I were running from that group. They wanted to kill the oldest out of the three because he had a special power given to him by his girlfriend. They wanted both of them to give them the ultimate power."

"Did they ever get it?"

"They did manage to get his girlfriend, but I was to prevent them from getting him."

"Why not her as well?"

"When she was fused into another being, they were killed. They were able to get her in that weakened state."

"So they got her spirit?"

"I am not really sure how it was done myself, but they somehow got her."

"What happened next? Are they living together?" Rei was feeling like his kid self again, always wanting to know more and more.

"We managed to figure out where they were hiding and we had a plan to get the others back. They had others under their control and I believe we did not know they had her under their control. It has been a while so I can not remember it exactly. When we managed to get to the mastermind, we found her with him. He was controlling her and it was my brother's words that broke his chains. That made her fused into the being again to get an even higher form than before. They fought and we thought they had won, but he appeared again. They went chasing after him in a different world and they lost their lives protecting everyone and killing the mastermind."

"Was he heartbroken?"

"They possessed so much power that they were able to erase a lot of memories about what happened. It was his girlfriend, the being she is able to fuse with, and her sister. I was the only one that was spared because they did not have enough energy to erase my memories. So he did not have to grieve and to mourn physically or consciously. But in his heart and his in soul, he cried every moment for her until he was able to see the hostess that granted her soul a body. But sadly, that body was also killed soon after their meeting."

"It was also tragic for his blood brother because her sister was really close with him. So he grieved for her in the same way." Yayoi added.

"Was the third brother related to them? What was his connection to the sisters?" Rei asked.

"He was not related to them. He had never met her, but since the other brother, his name is TK, talked about her all the time, he fell in love with her." Sage answered.

"Was TK angry about that?"

"He was actually having a love problem of his own. He loved this other girl just as much as he loved the sister, her name is Kitty. Kitty knew that he loved this other girl, name Kari, and she somehow allowed it. So having the third brother, name Ken, love her was good. She had someone that would take TK's place and he could make sure that she was happy. Kitty did agree to it so it was okay."

"Why were they thinking about eternal love so early?" Rei knew why Wu was thinking about it, but why them.

"Because they knew that they would forever be together. When TK got his memories back about his love for Kitty, he was really angry at Ken. But that was only because he could not remember in his anger that Kitty agreed to love him back."

"It doesn't seem fair that they can't be together. Isn't love supposed to be eternal?" He was hoping that this doesn't happen to the Kai or Wu.

"They were unfortunate ones, sadly. For some reason, they have to know pain, yin and yang if you will."

"So you're the only one with a happy ending? Or was TK lucky as well?"

"Kari could have forgiven him for loving another girl while loving her, but he had slept with her when they were young."

That widen Rei's eyes, "What?"

"TK did not know this at the time, but he loving Kari was something that was destined to happen because of their roles. TK loving Kitty was something that he did on his own. He was not destined to do it, it happened. He could not explain his pull to Kari, but he never wanted to forget Kitty."

"How are they doing now? TK and Kari, that is."

"They are still friends and they casually go on dates, but they are not married. They were planning to before he recovered his memories."

"Ken?"

"He married another girl because they could not erase his love, just simple redirect it to someone else. It was lucky for them that she already liked him so it was easier for him to believe that he had always loved her. When he remembered, he was really broken. But that all he could be and he had been coaxed into going with his wife."

"Your other brother?"

"He is married to someone that once liked him. Do not think he is happy, because he had other losses that are plaguing his heart. He is just hiding them from most people because their memories were erased."

"Shouldn't they have learned not to do that?"

"It would have caused more problems than solved. They still remember, but the ones that should not worry about it had their memories erased."

"And you feel all of this?"

"Yes, I do."

"And you're not depressed by it all?"

"I try to help in small ways."

"I don't think I could do something like that with my friends. I hope that I don't have to."

"Keeping hoping since hope is one of your best weapons. TK taught me that. Well, since we are done, want some ice cream?"

"I feel like I shouldn't after that."

"They would not want you to be sad for them. They do not mind to be understood."

"Okay, only if you're sure."

They got up and went to an ice cream vendor. Sage was the one that was getting the ice cream.

"Sage is a very caring person. Just think, there are many people here that are going through problems and he is feeling all of them. He might not be thinking about them, but they are coming to him." Yayoi said.

"Why doesn't he help everyone? Wouldn't he want to?"

"He saved the world twice with his friends and once with his brothers. Our brothers have saved the world about six times or more. Our sister and his wife have saved the world more times than we know of. I have aided in the safety of the world, but I have not saved it. He doesn't take away pain, but just tries to help the person get through it."

"So he knows that they'll ultimately be safe in the end, because there are people here to protect them from major threats?" He looked at her.

"That's right. Because he knows this, he knows that everyone is already saved."

"Does he use this same philosophy with you guys?"

"Depends on the situation we're facing because we are a few of those protectors."

"I was told that I am a protector too… but the person who told me that doesn't seem trusting anymore…"

"You know, Sage has heard stories similar to that. He can help you find your path."

"I thought that was your job."

She smiled, "And I'm leading you back to him."

He came up to them, "Here you go Rei." Rei had ordered a sundae, never having one before.

"Thanks." Rei took it as he handed Yayoi hers. They got back into the car and she drove them back to Sage's house.


	14. Chap 13 AllStarz Science

I still don't know who Sage is looking for… Oh, sorry, yo! Told ya that it would be on my mind for a while. Anyway, that's not really important here. The story must go on so I have to end this shortly… And no, that isn't an excuse because I have nothing to say. I always have something to say. And I can shut up as well, but I don't have to. I'm able to do whatever I want, and you can't stop me! Beat that! You can't, can ya? What now::Starts making tough sounding sounds: Okay, that's getting boring… So, I'll let them have their story… Remember, folks, I have power :evil smile:

Rei was waiting outside of the restaurant. He was called by Max, saying that he wanted to see him. Rei thought that he was out on a camping trip, but thought that it was best to ask him that in person. Rei was using the power that was given to Byakko. Even though he had to hide it, he thought that it was okay to have a bit out. He noticed that his senses were sharper and that he could move quicker too.

"Rei!" Rei heard a familiar voice call.

He looked over to his right to see a new Max. There was something different about him that Rei couldn't really placed on his own. Rei noticed that he had a lot more muscle than before. He was still the same happy person he was when he left, but Rei could sense that there was something underneath it.

"Hi Max!" Rei got up from the wall and faced his friend. "I thought…" Max hugged him around the neck.

"I'm so glad to be back! I really missed you!" Max said in his embrace.

"You were that homesick?" Rei just allowed him to hug him, knowing the feeling.

Max got off, "I wasn't really that much, but it felt like a few months had passed." Max had a look on the calendar to know that his dad was right. He wasn't sure how to explain it, either of them understood it. They didn't really want to go back to that island unless they had to.

"You were just gone for a day." Rei didn't really understand how he could feel that homesick. That usually took a few days.

"I know. It's kinda hard to explain. So anything interesting happen when I was away?"

Rei couldn't tell him that Kai and Jade now know about Byakko, "Jade and Krypton are going to have another concert soon. Oh, and I'm getting better as well." Rei figured that would be good news for him since Max cared about Rei's health as well.

"Really? That's great! Can we celebrate it?"

"How about some other time? I really want to do some work at the restaurant."

"Okay, I understand." He smiled. "Oh, my mom and the All Starz are coming here today. I'm not sure of the time. I'm going to find Tyson and the others to let them know."

"Okay, whenever they come in, have them stop by. I can ask my boss to let me off then. See ya until then." Rei smiled and was about to turn to go back, but Max gave him another hug.

"I'm really glad that you're fine, Rei." Max said before taking off.

Rei stared at him, wondering what that was for. He realized that Max was acting a bit weird then, so he knew that something happened within that one day. It seemed like that one day was expended to a longer period of time. It did kinda look like Max had grown. Rei laughed, "Yeah, like he actually when there." He walked back to the restaurant.

"Why was Max back so early?" Jinochi asked.

"He says that he wasn't really homesick… so I really don't know. Though his mother is coming today so it good either way. He has grown a little."

"How can someone grow in a day?"

"I know it's weird, but I have heard of it before. Anyway, whenever they come by, I'm going to ask if I can leave."

"Okay, I'm sure that the boss man will allow it. After all, I think we all have grown a liking to ya." He smiled.

"Really?"

"Yep, I know that he was never this leant on me. So I think you made him grow soft."

"Then we better not tell him that, huh?"

"Right." They both smiled and went back to work.

Max got to Tyson's house to let him know that he was back.

"I'm sorry, Maxy, but Tyson left with Kai, Jade, and Kenny this morning for some training." Tyson's Grandpa said.

"Do you know where they are?" At least he would be able to get them in one shot.

"Yeah, they're by the stream."

"Thanks." Max took off.

He was a lot quicker and stronger. Ed and he had to work hard to make sure they survived. That island was as tough as it got, even Ed agreed and he went through something similar before at a bit younger age. They didn't have too much game other than fish. Only fruits were available to them and most of them were weird.

He spotted them near the falls. "Hey guys!" Max liked the fact that Kai wasn't with Rei.

They stopped what they were doing to see Max running towards them.

"Yo Max! What are you doin' back so early?" Tyson asked with joy.

Max slid down the hill to them, "My mom is coming here so I thought that I should come back early." He was able to come up with a better excuse than with Rei, though he liked the idea of telling Rei the truth.

"Really? Mr. Dickenson didn't tell me anything about it." Jade stated.

"Maybe she's not coming through him. Oh, and the All Starz are coming too."

"Since you're back, you and Rei can start training too." Kenny said.

Max got nervous with that notion. "That's a great idea. Max, can you go over to…" Jade started to say but was interrupted by Max.

"Why don't we start training tomorrow? After all, Rei is still recovering so an extra day would probably help him." Max needed an excuse. His Beyblade wasn't ready yet and they still need to figure out how get the array circles on him.

Kai noticed that there was something odd with Max, though brushed it off. "Max is probably right. He just started his healing process yesterday."

"Since when?" Tyson asked.

"He came to see us last night after his visit to that guy's house."

"And when would we be informed?"

Max didn't like the fact that Kai got to know that Rei was healing first.

"Sorry Tyson. We need to be better with information." Jade said.

"Fine, as long as I know now."

"Well, that's all I wanted to report. So I'll see ya tomorrow probably." Max said.

"Why don't we all meet up somewhere when they come?"

"Rei already offered."

"Good, tell him to give me a call. He had my cell number since yesterday, incase he needed."

"Why did Rei go see some guy?"

"He promised to help him." Kai said. "That's all we know about him other than where he lives. Rei didn't give any details about it." Kai figured that he probably coaxed Rei into telling them about Byakko.

"Oh, okay. Well, I have to get back home and wait for my mom. I'll see you later." Max took off again. Max wasn't really worried that Rei went to someone to get help, but he didn't really think that Rei would take an offer like that. He didn't really seem the type to except help too often. Max smiled to himself, being reminded that they two are going to be paired off to fight against Kai and Tyson.

"Ed, did you get them on yet?" Max asked as he entered the basement.

"Yeah." A light flashed, "Just got the last one on. Take a look." Ed tossed him Draciel's bit piece.

Max caught it and looked at the engravings on the back. It was exactly what they planned. "I'm glad that you were able to refine the metal into a needle and that it didn't break this." He placed it back on Draciel. Draciel didn't have too bad of a time on the island. Max trained almost every day to make sure he was still at his peak.

"Now, we still haven't decided where to put your set of the arrays. Oh, how was your meeting with the others?"

Max took the seat next to Ed, "Rei allowed me to hug him!" Max said as low as possible. He didn't want his dad to hear this. "And he's getting better."

"That's great to hear. So, are you two going to have a 'hang out session' soon to celebrate?"

"We're going to decide that on another day because he wants to work. But at least this time he doesn't have to force himself to eat. Oh, the others told me that he went to this guy for help."

"Wonder why… Is that an odd thing?"

"Yeah, I don't think he normally ask for others help."

"Maybe he thought he really needed it. At least he's better, right?"

"Yeah, he is and that's all that matters." Max smiled.

"Do you want a bracelet?" Ed held up a metal band.

"Not really. That seems a bit too girly for me."

"Though it would be the easiest way of getting access to it… A choker wouldn't really work because you would have to move your arms up around your neck to work it."

"And gloves are really my style." It was more like Tyson's.

"Then how about I make amulets and string them together? They can hang from your neck."

"That seems to be the only option." A ring would mess up his launching and he didn't want to get holes in his ears. "Letting you know that you have to show yourself to them when they come."

"I know. Good thing you taught me English."

"Yeah… I wonder why they're coming."

"If it was just a visit then she wouldn't be bringing the team… You're right about that. Didn't you tell me that you told her about Jade and Krypton's blades?"

"You're right! They're probably here to dissect them."

"Would they allow that?"

"I'm doubtful, but it doesn't hurt to see, I guess. Oh, they're having a concert coming up. Do you want to come along?"

"Nah, I shouldn't be seen by them yet."

"I don't want to keep you in the dark."

"I just think that we should wait. There's no rush." What Ed didn't know was that Max was going to send him back home. Max was really grateful for everything that Ed has done for him, but he could tell that Ed really wanted to go back home. Max copied the pages that had to deal with the gate so he just has to study it when Ed's not around.

"Right." Though Max knew that was going to take some time, so there was time.

They heard the bell ring. "I guess that means that I have to make those later." Ed said.

"We're going to be going over to Rei's work to eat something. You can make it during then."

"Okay."

"There you are Max." Max's mother came down the stairs.

" Mom! " Max went to hug her, " Glad that you can come. Are you guys hungry? "

" A bit, and who are you? " She looked at Ed.

" My name is Edward Elric. I'm Max's friend. Your husband is allowing me to stay here for as long as I want. "

" Oh, okay. Will you be joining us? "

" Perhaps another time. I have some work that I want to get done before the day is out. "

" Okay. Let's go Max. "

" I'll be up there in a minute. " She walked upstairs. "+How was it+"

"+I'm really glad that you taught me. That wasn't as bad as I thought it would be.+"

"+That's good. I'll see you later on tonight then.+"

"+Right, now go have fun.+"

Max went upstairs to see the All Starz near the door. They all looked tired so some food might do it. " Mom, there's this really cool place that I have to show you! " Max wanted to lead them there without them knowing it.

" Is this where we're going to eat? I'm starving over here. " Michael whined. Max narrowed his eyes, knowing what starvation really was.

" Yeah, it is. "

" Then why are we still hanging around? " Eddy asked.

"Are you ready mom?" Max was really getting annoyed by their complaints.

"Yeah, so let's go to this place of yours." She smiled.

So Max led them to the restaurant that Rei works at.

"Jinochi-ni, what if they come after we close?" Rei was hoping not, but you never know.

"Well, we'll stay outside if that happens."

"Why we?"

"I can't leave you alone to wait for them."

"Oh, okay." Rei smiled. He never had an older sibling before so he wasn't sure how to act. But he figured it wasn't much difference than how they acted before.

" Okay, get a table and I'll be there in a moment. " Rei heard Max's voice say.

Rei looked at the door to see the Americans walking in and taking a seat. Max came up to him. "+Hi Max.+" Rei said with a smile.

"+Do you have Jade's cell phone number? They wanted to come when they got here.+"

"Yeah, I do." Rei reached into his pocket and pulled out the paper that had Jinochi and Jade's cell numbers. "Jinochi-ni, can you call her?"

"Sure." He took the paper and started to dial.

"Oh, and remember that we have to start training as a team soon." Max was really excited about that.

"Oh yea. When do you want to start?"

"Tomorrow since you should still rest a bit. After all, you just started to recover."

"Okay, we'll train tomorrow." Rei smiled.

"They're going to be here soon." Jinochi said.

"Oh, how does this work anyway? There are too many people for everyone to sit here." Max asked.

"Normally we have the people tell us what they want and they have to come up to get it when we're done. But we'll make an exception this time." Jinochi answered.

"Okay, I'll go see what they want." Max went back over to them. " Have you guys decided what you want? "

" How do you expect us to order when we can't even read what's on it? " Steve asked.

Rei started to list off what they had and what was in each one. They placed their orders that way.

" So Rei, what are you doing here? " Judy asked.

" I thought that I should work so I can buy whatever I need. " Rei and Jinochi were both making their orders.

" Wouldn't Mr. Dickenson help with all that? " Emily asked.

" I don't mind it at all. "

" Anyway, we were told that you guys have coaches. Are they coming? " Michael asked.

" Yeah, everyone else should be coming here soon. "

The door open and they appeared. "+Hi guys+" Tyson said.

"+Tyson! Good you see ya.+" Michael said as he got up. They noticed that there were two new people with them.

" Hi, my name is Jade and this is my brother Krypton. It's nice to finally see you face to face. " Jade extended her hand to greet him.

" Why don't you come seat over with us? I'm sure we can find something to talk about. " Michael took her hand and tried to pull her over.

She pulled her hand away, " Sorry, but I can have a much better time where there are more guys. " She smiled as she walked over to Kai. "+Don't show anything. I want to have some fun.+" Jade whispered to him.

"+Okay.+" Kai figured that Jade would want to try her powers over men on them. All of them had fallen for her, just like everyone else. Out in public, he ignores the stares they get that are mixed with envy and wanting. The BladeBreakers sat down at the bar.

"+Rei, I hear that you're finally healing.+" Tyson said.

"+Yep, we're going to train tomorrow. So now you two will have some competition.+"

"+You call yourselves competition? We can run circles around you two.+" Kai said.

"+Yeah? Well how about if we add something else to this+"

"+Like what+" Jade asked.

"+What if we have Krypton train us? That way it would be more interesting.+"

"+I like that idea+" Max said.

"+Yeah! That would be awesome+" Tyson agreed.

"+What do you think, brother+" Jade looked over to him.

"Sure, sounds like fun. Oh, All Starz," Krypton looked at them, "There's a concert tonight and you're going to it. The only way to get out of it is if you're sick."

"And who made you our boss?" Michael asked.

"Let's go, you guys." Emily said.

"Why?"

"Because it sounds like fun."

"It is." Max said. "We all have to go and the last one wasn't bad at all."

"That still doesn't explain why we have to go as well." Eddy said.

"Aw, and here I thought I would be able to see you there." Jade said.

"What time is it?" Steve asked.

"Max knows what to do." Jade said.

"Okay, we'll be there." Michael promised.

" Did you see how Emily fell for Krypton? " Kai said to Rei.

":Yeah, it was kinda the same effect that Jade has on guys. I guess it's in their genes.:"

" That would explain why they're so popular. "

":So it has to do with looks and talent. Well, aren't you the lucky one:" Rei smiled.

" I know that with every new guy I come across. " Kai hid his smile, though Rei knew it was there.

"+What are you guys talking about+" Max asked. He didn't like it when they did this.

"+Just commenting.+" Rei said.

"+Rei, are you done+" Jinochi asked.

"+Yep, do we have anything to carry them on+" Rei looked around and found a two trays that would work.

"+I got to see this.+" Jinochi said as Rei was placing each dish on the trays.

Rei picked up both, "+Could someone get the door for me+"

Kenny was closer so he got the door. Rei went over to them and set one of the trays down. With perfect balance of the other, he was able to hand out everyone's on that tray. Then Rei did something unexpected. He tossed the last two up in the air, placed the tray with the other, grabbed them from the air, spin once, and placed them in front of the person that ordered it, " Enjoy. " Rei bowed and walked back to the kitchen.

"+That was awesome Rei+" Max was the only one able to say anything.

"+Thanks.+"

"+Since when were you able to do that+" Kenny finally asked.

"+You pick up on these things after a while. So, what do you guys want+"

They ordered something and they all began to talk. Near the end, Tyson and Michael were arguing who was better. Of course, all the BladeBreakers were saying that anyone of them could beat them. Krypton was staying out of it and Jade was giving them encouragement. Everyone knew that she wanted them to fight, but they didn't care either way.

"Okay, hot shot, if you think you can take me then let's step outside." Michael got up.

"Michael, sit down." Judy ordered. Michael sat down and looked away from them. "I'm sorry for the ruckus that we're causing." She looked at Jinochi.

"It's okay. Anyway, if they want to battle outside, that's fine."

"Actually, we came here to see Jade and Krypton's blades." The truth finally out.

"We just don't show our blades to anyone." Krypton said, "These losers had to battle us to see them."

"What are you saying?" Judy didn't like his tone.

"That if you want to see them, some kind of battle has to take place."

"And to make it more interesting," Jade added, "it should be a two on two battle."

"Why? Can't they battle on their own anymore?" Michael mocked.

"What's the matter? Can't work with your team?" Krypton mocked.

"Fine!"

":Krypton can still get under people's skin.:" Rei said as they were cleaning the cooking place. Jinochi had asked if they could close early so there would be plenty of time for a battle and them to make the concert.

" Yep. Glad I can ignore it for a good while. " Kai said.

":I thought you two were on better grounds.:"

" He is still overprotective. "

":Oh.:"

"+Would you two stop talking in languages we can't understand+" Michael snapped.

"+It's our native languages. Is it our fault that you never studied them+" Kai said.

"+If you got something to say then say it so everyone can understand+"

"+Michael, that's going too far.+" Max didn't care that he was yelling at Kai, but some of it was directed towards Rei as well. Though he did wish that they stop commenting to each other, but he couldn't stop that.

"+Stay out of this+"

"+Michael, calm down.+" Emily said.

"Why should I?"

Kai got up, "Tyson, we might as well show this American that it's rude to yell in here."

Tyson got up, "Yeah."

"Eddy, you're coming with me." Michael said.

"Okay." He got up and they four walked outside.

Judy sighed as she, Steve and Emily walked out with them.

"I'm sorry Rei. I didn't think that this would happen." Max said.

"It's okay. I'll be there in a minute."

"We'll make sure that it doesn't start without ya." Krypton said as they all got up and walked out.

"It's a good thing that no one else was here. The old folk hate rude foreigners." Jinochi said.

"Yea."

"Rei," they turned to see their boss, "Make sure that Kai teaches them a lesson."

"Right." Rei smiled.

"You two go out there. I'll finish up here."

"Thanks." Jinochi said and they both we out.

Everyone was ready to start when they stepped out. "Three, two, one, Let it Rip!" Judy said and they launched their blades.

" Kai, my boss wants you to teach them a lesson. " Rei said in Russian.

" Right! " Kai looked at Tyson, "+Rei's boss is telling us to win.+"

"+Ain't no problem there.+" Tyson smiled. They were acting like Michael and Eddy were. Those two weren't working as a team. Though they didn't seem to be either, they were. Tyson noticed that Emily had her laptop out. "+Kai, tell Rei to ask Jade whether we should show a lot of our new power.+"

"+Why+"

"+Emily has her laptop out.+"

Kai looked over at her and noticed that. He was also amazed at the level of control they have. Michael and Eddy were working their butts off to keep up with them and they have time to look around. " Rei, ask Jade how much we should show off. "

"+Jade+" Rei whispered, "+They want to know how much they should show off.+"

"+Show them that they need to get stronger otherwise you guys won't have any fun.+" She said without looking at him.

" Show them that they need to get stronger. " Rei reported.

"+We can go up a level. Jade wants us to show them that they need to get stronger.+" Kai said to Tyson.

"+Then let's do it partner.+" Tyson and Kai's style started to become more uniformed and focused. They didn't even need to give Dragoon and Dranzer more for this either. The All Starz were amazed at what they were able to do.

"Max, Rei, this isn't even close to what they're really able to do." Jade warned them.

Max and Rei weren't really surprised. After all, they were better than that themselves individually. They were getting so strong that they might be right under Jade and Krypton. Well, the only way that would happen if they ever master what Jade showed them in the mountains.

"I think we toyed with them long enough." Tyson said.

"Go Dranzer!"

"Go Dragoon!" Both blades when straight for their blades and knocked them to the sky. Then they jumped up in unison and made sure that they didn't land spinning.

The All Starz were too stunned to say anything as Tyson and Kai caught their Beyblades.

"Since when were you that good?" Michael asked.

"Ever since our Australian tournament." Tyson answered.

"Mr. Dickenson told me that he got the best coaches… but that's unbelievable." Judy said.

"You wanted to see our blades, right?" Krypton asked as he pulled his out. Jade did the same.

Judy walked over to them, "They're the old models!"

"And they're the best ones we got." Jade said.

"Can I see how they work?"

"What do you mean by that?" Krypton asked.

"I would like to run some test on them." She was about to touch Jade's when they put their blades away.

"We'll see you guys at the concert." Krypton said as they both walked away.

"What about the test?" Judy asked.

"Denied." Jade said.

"Why don't they want their blades to be tested? It's not like we're going to damage them." Emily asked.

"After the concert, I'll see if I can talk them into it. They can be very stubborn sometimes." Kenny offered.

"Do that." Judy said.

"Well, you guys should rest up before the concert." Jinochi said.

"We'll see you guys there." Tyson and Kenny took off somewhere.

"See ya there." Max said, looking at Rei.

"Right." Rei smiled. They started to walk away. "Jinochi-ni, do you want to come along?"

"Nah, you have fun with your friends." Jinochi placed his hand on Rei's head.

"How about the next one then?"

"Sure, for the next one I'll come. I hear from my friends that they're really awesome."

"I have never met any of your friends before."

"They're not suitable for here. Maybe one day I'll show you them."

"Okay, see ya later." Rei said as Jinochi walked away.

"You two seem closer and why did you add 'ni' to his name?" Kai asked.

"I learned that from one of the people that came to his house yesterday. She called him Sage-ni so I thought that I should do the same with Jinochi since he acts like an older brother."

"I thought you were an only child."

"I am so this is all new to me. But I think I like the feeling."

"Just make sure not to follow Krypton's example." Kai started to walk and Rei followed.

"It also seems that you have picked up on some of Krypton's traits." Rei smiled.

"I'm living with him so I'm bond to pick some of it up to get on his nerves. So where do you want to head?"

"Don't really know. Do you want Byakko out?"

"Did you use him when you did that serving trick?"

"Nah, that was all me." Rei smiled.

Kai thought about whether Byakko should be out. He stopped and looked around to make sure that no one else was around, "Might as well. Do you mind?"

"Not at all. While he's out I can take a nap." Rei closed his eyes. When they opened, Byakko gave a kiss on Kai's cheek as he jumped on him.

"Glad to see you too, Byakko." Kai petted his head. Byakko smiled with joy. "I'm doubtful that you've seen much of the city on your own so we'll head out there, don't stay too close."

Byakko nodded and got off.

"Okay, let's go." They walked out of district and into the city.

"Max, Ed said that he has something for you in the basement." Mr. Tate said.

"Thanks dad." Max ran down there and saw Ed reading in his journal. "Dad said that you got it done."

Ed didn't look at him nor did he hear him. Max walked up to him and looked at the amulets that were on the workbench. There were all small and only five. He was able to place it like they have it on his Bit piece. The arrays they had were water, earth, one of theirs, one that could manipulation water and cards, and one that could almost anything. Ed told Max that a guy named Majhal had used.

The formation is that each array is at the points of two triangles that are facing each other. Earth and water were at the top, the water manipulation is in the middle, and the last two are on the bottom. The hexagon that they formed is also another array. It was used to send his energy to the ones that he drew on the ground. They came up with this so they could place more arrays in one space, used more than one at the same time, and it's really powerful in sending energy out. They had tried it out on the island.

It was really amazing that Max was able to do alchemy when Ed couldn't. He still couldn't, which did puzzle them. They didn't really dwell on it since it wasn't as important. Max picked up the necklace and placed it around his neck. He was glad that it wasn't heavy or big so he tucked in under his shirt.

Max looked at Ed and tapped him on the shoulder. Ed finally looked at him, "Do you like it?"

"Yeah, it's prefect. Why are you staying down here?"

"I didn't want your dad to come down and see it. Do you want to test it?"

"We'll have to do that after the concert."

"There's a concert?"

"You know them."

"And we definitely can't do anything when your mom and her team are around."

"This is why I said after the concert."

"Got it. Is dinner being made?"

"I thought that you might want to learn as much as you can from Emily. She brought her laptop here so she can give you a good amount of stuff on Beyblades."

"I thought you were going to teach me."

"I'll explain anything you don't get. Remember, you have to appear to know what's going on even if you don't."

"Right. Okay, I guess I have to show myself to them." Ed closed his journal and got up.

They went up and Ed introduced himself in English. Emily fell for him as well and was more than willing to give him everything on Beyblades as she could. The other All Starz were watching TV, though were quickly getting bored with that. They were able to have dinner there before heading off to the meeting spot. Judy was going to stay since she wanted some sleep.

"Have fun Max." Ed said.

"Keep studying Ed." Max said with a smile. Ed smiled back and they headed off.

" What was that about? " Eddy asked.

" Huh? What was what? "

"Keep studying? Ain't he an adult even if he's too small to look like it?"

The door opened, " I heard that! " Ed yelled. He was really angry as he came up to Eddy. " Want to repeat that in my face? "

"Ed, calm yourself down." Max got between them.

"Not until he pays!" Max was now holding him back.

"Eddy, take it back." Max said, struggling to hold Ed.

"Uh… sorry dude, my mistake." Eddy said with confusion in his voice.

"You should respect to people who are older than you." Ed said before going back inside.

It was silent until they were at a good distance from Max's house. "What the hell was that about?" Eddy asked, wanting some closer to that.

"He doesn't like it when someone comments on his height." Max stated. "He told me that people used to think that he was the younger brother when he was with his brother." Max was interested in seeing how Ed was back then. He wondered if anything would have changed when he goes back to his world.

"Why are you two so close?" Emily asked.

Max couldn't tell them that they spent months surviving together, "We just naturally click." Best excuse he could give. They reached the meeting spot so Max stopped.

"Why did you stop?" Michael asked.

"We're meeting everyone else here."

"I thought you were to meet at the concert." Steve expressed what they all figured.

"That's not how they do things."

"+Hey! Glad to see that you guys are coming.+" They looked behind the All Starz to see that Tyson and Kenny were walking up.

"+Are we also going to be meeting Jade here+" Michael asked.

"+Nah, we're meeting them at the concert.+" Kenny answered.

"+So why not meet there+" Steve asked.

"Because that's not how they work." Rei said as he and Kai walked up. "We meet here and they have someone show us where to go."

"Why don't they come themselves?" Emily asked.

"If they don't have to show up, they don't. They consider themselves above everyone else, which in most cases they are." Kai explained.

"Good, none are late." They looked to the new person that was there. It was the same one that got them last time. "Do they know that they're coming?" He asked coldly.

"Yeah, they know Keiku." Kai answered.

"Follow me then." He started walking in some direction and they all followed.

" Whose this guy? " Michael asked.

" All I know is that he's the one that picked us up the last time. " Max wondered why Kai knew his name.

" He looks to be a gangster or somethin'. " Eddy said.

" That's because he is. " Rei said, " Krypton is in a high position within one of the local gangs. "

That shocked all the All Starz.

"+Rei, he's not in a high position, he's second in command.+" Kai corrected him.

"+I didn't know that.+"

"+Krypton-sama doesn't like to brag.+" Keiku explained.

"+No wonder he can have you do this for them.+" Tyson said.

"You may not know this, but when Krypton-sama is involved with something, he makes sure that it lives. Everyone at one time or another owes their lives to him."

"Does Jade have a position?" Kenny asked. He has actually gotten used to them.

"Nah, she normally keeps herself out of what we do. Though she does help us out a lot in her own way as well, that's why we'll do anything for them."

The rest of the way was silent. They got to one of the other concert halls and got in with no trouble. They had front row seats again.

"Where are they?" Eddy asked.

"They'll be coming soon." Kai answered. He wondered what outfit she would be wearing for this one. He remembered that their scientists were working on something special for this, but he never knew what it was. Secrecy was something they were good at.

After the opening acts, they came on. For this one, they had many special effects happening. Rei was joining in the yelling, but Kai still wasn't. The All Starz were really getting into the music. Kai also noticed that Rei allowed Byakko to come out to enjoy the music. He stayed out for three songs before Rei got back.

This one was a lot different from the other one because they also changed their outfits. Some of the songs were about Beyblades, which is understandable since they are both Beybladers and they're surrounding themselves with others. Kai never noticed how creditably talented Krypton was in singing. He was really good, though he only has the Teenage Wolves to really compare. Even though some of his own gang members brought something to listen, he didn't remember them now.

Their style seemed to be their own even though they admire the Teenage Wolves. Their sound seemed harmonized to the ears. Kai knew that for every song they have to play the individual instruments, record it, and then combine them into the specially made keyboard. Jade has to activate each instrument within it because they don't plan everything that happens.

Wow, who knew that girls fell for Krypton? Though since the BladeBreakers are mostly guys, it kinda reasonable as to why we never knew this. And since Mariah likes Rei and Rei told his tribe about them, they understood that their looks hid their true selves. And it seems that Max is able to do alchemy! Yeah! Go Max::does a little cheer: Also, did you notice how close the BladeBreakers are? When they all were together, they all just started talking to each other. I thought that was interesting. I wonder when Rei is going to hand everyone the translator. They already prove that they can use it to their advantage. I hope that Krypton does train Rei and Max. Then they would know who the better teacher is. Honana!


	15. Chap 14 The Horses Stay Free

Well, I bet you all know what's coming up next. It's the end of the world… Sorry, didn't mean that. It's the end of the concert! What will be discovered today? We might see Max do some little alchemy for us, though not for everyone else. So far, the home foreign teams have some to pay them some visit… Wow, it's like they're coming to a funeral or a wake or something… That's really weird… No, think about it! They're all coming over to Japan just to say hi and have some fun but they don't stay for long… Well, I'm not really sure how long these guys are staying, but I can be sure that it's not that long. It's all symbolic and stuff and I can't even see it! Grrrrrr! Anyway, I should probably allow you to read this lovely story, since it is getting interesting.

"That was really awesome!" Michael said as they were backstage.

"Thanks." Krypton said before gulping down some water.

"Why are you the lead singer and not Jade?" Eddy asked.

"Because I don't like to sing as much as Krypton." Jade answered. Kai was standing behind her, not knowing if they had to play Jade's mind game on them.

"Jade, Krypton, you never gave an answer to Max's mother about your blades." Kenny stated.

It got tense really quickly. "We gave her an answer." Krypton said.

"But why don't you want yours to be tested? Have they ever been tested?"

"Yeah, when you were taping our sessions with the BladeBreakers." Jade answered. Rei and Kai could both see that they were hinting at the fact they don't want to have their blades looked at.

"But have you ever wondered why they are able to beat so many blades without ever getting damaged or beaten? Judy could find…"

Krypton slammed his case shut and Jade did the same with the case for her keyboards. "We'll see you home, Kai." Krypton said as they walked out with their things. The other members of the gang were helping them since they never bring a car to place them in. Kai watched as they both walked away, knowing that there was something deeper about these blades than what they might think.

"That ends that discussion." Rei commented, interested in knowing that past.

"I guess I would just have to tell my mother that they just wouldn't have it." Max said. He wanted to get home soon anyway because he wanted to practice with Draciel for their alchemy. He looked at Kai, knowing that he would have the honors of taking care of Rei tonight. Though he knew that it wasn't a good idea for him to be around Rei while his mother was near. "So we'll see you guys later." He smiled.

"Yeah, we better get home as well." Tyson said.

"See ya later." Rei said with a smile as they all walked away.

"Hey, see if you guys can get them to change their minds." Kenny offered before they fully left.

Kai sighed, knowing that they shouldn't, "What do you think?" He looked at Rei, who was still watching the path their friends took.

Rei faced him and smiled, "I at least what to hear the reason as to why they value those blades. You don't see that passion for Beyblades anymore." Rei looked at his own, knowing that he would never want a new Bit piece at least because of the two crests on them, "They know that there is change, but they don't want to change."

"What are you saying?" Kai was lost with his point.

Rei closed his eyes, "They like the past so much even though they live in the present and look to the future." He opened his eyes and Kai noticed a gentle, soft, delightful expression of face and smile on Rei. Kai had never seen that on him before that it was making him worry. "I lived in a village, so I can't say that I know everything about the fast-pace cities, but I do realize that you can easily recognize the need for change and the wanting of change that you do change whenever it becomes necessary. It's rare to find someone that lives in a city to see the need to have something constant."

Kai could tell that Rei was thinking about someone he knew, but he was talking like he is realizing this realization. The only way that Kai could see that Rei was talking about someone is through his smile that held all the gentleness and delightfulness that were never false. "Who are you talking about because I know you're commenting on Jade and Krypton but you're not talking about them?"

Rei snapped back to consciousness and looked at Kai with a blank, confuse stare, "What are you talking about? I'm talking about Jade and Krypton."

"Unless you have some underlining respect that I don't know about, you're not talking about them."

Rei looked horrified for a moment before hiding it, "Wu was the one that thought that up one day. She's very wise, you know."

Kai could see that Rei wanted him so much to buy that story. Why didn't he want to say who he was really talking about? Was there something about this person that Rei must never talk about? " I know that it's not Wu, but talk about it in another language if you don't want others to hear. "

Rei looked down at the ground, like he was ashamed of something, " I'm sorry, Kai, but I can't. I just can't tell anyone about it. "

" Does your clan know? " Kai was just curious.

" They know. Wu is the only one that doesn't hate me for it. " Rei was revealing too much, much more than he was willing to tell anyone. No one was supposed to know about it. Only Wu, since she understands.

Kai couldn't guess until he remembered the hatred Rei had when the White Tigers said things about his fake mother. " Do remember that I have the translating hearing aid so I know what was said between you and your kin. It's not a warning to have you tell me anything, since I can see that you don't want to, but just remember that for the future if you want to code it. "

Rei smiled a defeated one, " So you have a guess on who it is, huh? "

" But I won't ask any longer since you don't want to tell. It's really your business. But will you tell me or Yoma when we find my past? "

" I probably will, but I'm not agreeing to it. "

"That's fine. +Now we should see if they're willing to talk about their past.+"

"+Right and thanks.+" Rei smiled.

They walked out of there, with Kai leading Rei on where to go.

"Okay, they're asleep." Max whispered to Ed as he looked through the door that led to where the All-Starz were sleeping.

"Good, let's get going." They left through the back door and ran off until they got to a place where no one would be able to see them. "Okay, you use your Beyblade to attack me and I'll dodge the attacks."

"Right." Max pulled out Draciel, "What about my skills? I thought you said that I shouldn't use Alchemy for everything."

"This is different. It's getting you ready for a long fight since you can only use your Beyblade in battle. Don't worry; we'll practice with your fist afterward."

Max smiled, "Go Draciel!" He launched him and their battle started. Ed was only able to use the surroundings to protect him from Draciel's alchemy attacks. Max was trying out new names for all the combos and styles that he was thinking up. Max was really glad that he was able to control how the power is released to form an attack. They were all originating from Draciel, since they planned it that way, but he also learned that he could use one array circle for both him and Draciel. That just took a lot more energy than usual, but still doable.

Max also learned that as long as his hands where near the Hexagon Energy array that he could control Draciel a lot easier. So with his Array Formations, Draciel was able to draw them not only correctly, but quickly as well.

Max was the one that called it off, running out of energy to continue.

"You were doing a great job, Max. Not many can hold their own with just relaying on Alchemy." Ed said, also catching his breathe but not as much as Max.

Max smiled, "But I'm so tired."

Ed sat down next to him. Max then heard Draciel still having energy to spin. "You have a lot of energy to use for your alchemy. We were fighting for so long that it's almost two."

Max knew they left around eleven from the house. "Were you able to use your alchemy for four hours?" Max looked at him.

"I'm sure that I couldn't, so you're really something." Ed smiled.

"Thanks, but that probably means that we wouldn't fight each other tonight."

"You need your rest after this. Can you stand?"

Max tried to get up, but it wasn't working. All his muscles were weak from the fight. "Nope."

Ed got up and pulled Max to stand. Max was able to stand, but barely walk afterward so Ed carried him back to the house with Draciel following close behind them.

"It would be cool if Rei carried me like this." Max said as he closed his eyes. Max was on Ed's back.

"You might get your chance one day."

"If I do, I'm taking it." Max smiled.

"Are you ever going to tell him that you like him?"

Max looked at the ground beside them, "I want to… but I don't think I should."

"Afraid of something?"

"Yeah… but I'll tell you at some other time." Max fell asleep, unable to keep conscious anymore.

Kai was getting frustrated that he couldn't find them. He knew where they went, where they hung out, where Krypton goes to drink! AND he still couldn't find them! Rei was enjoying this, laughing that Kai was so angry at this.

"They did say that they'll see you at home, maybe they're there?" Rei offered for the fifth time.

"They're not there." Kai knew that they weren't there. Their members and equipment would be there, but not them. Kai had seen them mad before, at one of their members that was new. As not to kill him, they had disappeared for hours before coming back. They didn't tell Kai where they were going, nor did they tell when they got back. "There has to be something that I'm missing." Kai said more to himself.

"If you have money, we call Jade." Rei pointed to the payphone near them.

"Tried that before, she turns it off."

"Before?" Rei doesn't remember Kai going to a payphone during their walk.

"I saw this before. They left the hideout for hours before coming back. No one knows where they go to during it though."

"And so what makes you think that you should know where they are?" Rei was just wondering if they're whole trip had no destination.

"Because I should." Meaning that there was no real reason to it.

"Then I say that we should think about a plan of searching before continuing."

"Fine, think of thing." Kai stood facing Rei.

"Okay. So, they got upset because someone wanted to test on their Beyblades. The ones that they had for their entire career and have never lost with. What made them angry the other time that you say?"

"The guy was saying that they should run back to their family instead of creating one from the gang. I was told that he was in some other gang up north and he wanted to join ours because his gang didn't want to have any contact with him since his parents moved. Krypton managed to get the truth from him, that he was there to discover a way to beat them."

"So they leave when it deals with their past, a sensitive part of their past."

"How can Krypton be sensitive?"

"He probably hides it within his angry and rage. They have other ways of showing their sadness because they're tears are dry."

"So where do you think they are then, detective?"

"The one place that they can return to so they can release their sadness, the place where it would remind them that only the strong survive, that depression will lead to their end."

"And that would be?"

"But I don't even know where it is, and I'm doubtful that they would want company while there."

"Where are they?"

Rei was silent for a moment, "They're at their parents' graves."

Kai had forgotten that their parents were dead. Rei knew the story better than he, but he at least knew that it was their turning point for their present outlook. "Jade mentioned that they didn't run far from there, but she never gave the location."

"So they have to still be in the city. I'm sure that Byakko can find them."

"Are you sure? Krypton isn't supposed to know that we know about him."

"Yeah, but we'll call it luck. I can tell that we're both curious as to reason for the denial."

"Okay. Let Byakko know that this is serious so he has to go straight to work."

"Right." Rei closed his eyes and went out of his mind. Before allowing Byakko control, he told him what Kai said. When Byakko came out, he smiled at Kai before following Jade's scent.

Kai was glad that Byakko listened. He was running on Rei's hands and feet, like a tiger would. Kai noticed that ears and a tail were display and that he had no shoes on. He knew that this didn't always happen when he came out, so it was interesting to see them.

They were coming upon the standing middle buildings of the city. They weren't old, but they weren't new either. Byakko was slowing down before jumping onto the roof of one of them. Kai was about to climb the ladder there, but the earth lifted him up to the roof's height. He wondered what was going on as he stepped off. Then he saw that Byakko was the one that was controlling the earth since he was making it go back down. Byakko led on, jumping from roof to roof. Kai was able to keep up, glad that the gaps weren't big.

Byakko stopped on one roof and sniffed around a bit before standing up. He allowed Rei control again and he opened his eyes, "Byakko said that they should be here."

Kai looked over the edge to see two grave markings in the alley below. He wondered whose they were, "Where? Inside the building?" Kai looked at Rei.

"Yep." He smiled as he jumped down the side with no windows. Kai did as well, but his feet weren't able to handle the impact like Rei's. Rei looked through a window, seeing that Jade and Krypton were sitting down at a dusty table in silence. "Found them." Rei pointed to the window.

Kai got up and looked to see them there. He noticed that their blades were out. "They look like they're remembering something." He pulled back, "I don't know if we should disrupt them."

"They may be willing to tell. At the every least, we can promise to get Judy off their backs if we know something." Rei's curiosity was getting to him.

"Fine, but how to approach them?"

"Hm?" Rei thought about it for a moment. He looked at their surroundings, putting everything into his plan. He placed himself in a spot where they would see him if they looked. He pointed to where Kai should be and he went there. "Jade? Krypton?" Rei asked as if they had just found them.

They sharply looked their way and were surprised to see them. "How did you find us?" Krypton asked.

"By luck." Rei smiled, "If you don't want to tell us why, we'll head on back."

They fell silent again.

"Rei, let's head back." Kai said, though hoping that they would change their minds soon.

"Yeah." Rei understood what Kai was trying out, hoping that their tactic would work.

As they turned around, "Wait," Jade said, "We'll tell you."

"Are you sure?" Kai asked.

"Yeah… you two at least should know."

They climbed in through the open window. They walked closer, but only Rei sat down. Krypton was at the other window, looking at the graves. Kai went next to him, leaning on the wall.

"Do you know when you want to start your tale?" Rei asked.

Krypton retold what Jade had told Rei, but in monotone and never looking away from the graves. Kai and Rei could tell that it effective him as much as Jade, but never shed a tear.

"That's to give you a history lesson for anything in the future." Krypton ended.

"So why come here?" Rei figured it out already, but he wanted it out there.

"We once lived here." Jade answered. "Those graves are the ones for our parents." She looked out the same window that Krypton was.

Rei looked at Kai and he nodded, agreeing that they should pay their respects before they leave. "Why don't you want anyone to touch your Beyblades?" Kai asked.

Krypton brought out his and gripped it. "These were the only thing that we have from our past."

"What do you mean?" Kai looked at him.

"The man that our mother said would help us and bring us hope… He was the one that brought us these Beyblades. He thought that we could use some toys. It's the only gift we got."

"We're not selfish about some things, but we are when it comes to these." Jade added.

"Did he also give you your Bit Beast?" Rei asked.

"No, we got them on our own."

"Are you two going to stay here for a while longer?" Kai asked.

"Yeah, if you don't mind."

"Rei, we better get going."

He nodded, "We'll remind them that you said no. We wouldn't give out your reason as to why if you don't want us."

"Don't tell them. Max, Tyson and Kenny don't need to know that we're alone." Krypton said.

"You're not alone anymore." Krypton looked at Kai, "You have us now. So you're not alone anymore."

Krypton smiled to Kai and Kai smiled back.

"We'll see you some time then." Rei said before they departed. Kai and Rei did stop at the graves, seeing that there wasn't anything written on them. They still paid their respects to them before formally leaving the area.

"I'm no expert, but aren't parents supposed to give kids gifts?" Kai asked.

"They are, but not everyone can."

"They had more than enough money to do so."

"Well, I do have to admit that some actions they seem to have taken are a bit odd, even for me."

"I wonder why they don't have anything on their graves." Kai pondered. He figured that Rei would know something about it, being from a village and all.

"I was once told that if there's nothing written on your grave that your enemies couldn't find you. It seems like they are afraid or worried that some enemy will come after them."

"But they're no longer living, so does it even matter if their enemies find their ashes?"

"It does. If they find it, it is believed that they could bring you back to life. Or they can take your body out of the ground so your spirit will be forced out of underworld and come back to roam in this realm."

"That's if you believe in that kind of stuff."

"Well, there's also another where your spirit will be able to start over more easily without a name attached to it. There's supposed to be this river that makes you forget everything about your life as a living so you can enter a new body with no memory of that time."

"You like mythology a lot, don't you?" Kai recognized that one as being a Greek thing.

"Yep." He smiled, "I like learning about them."

Kai shook his head slightly, "Do you think they believe in the first one?"

"They had to, or someone had to." Kai looked at Rei, "Otherwise Jade and Krypton wouldn't be so worried about it."

"When did they say they were worried?"

Rei blinked before covering his mouth. He started to whistle as he walked a bit faster than Kai.

"Rei? When did they say that?" Rei walked faster and Kai went after him. Getting annoyed really quickly, Kai launched Dranzer at Rei. Knowing what would happen; Rei was able to dodge it by jumping to the side and was staying on the side of the building.

"You think that will save you!" Kai made Dranzer go up the wall as well, going straight for Rei.

Rei jumped out of the way, "Okay, let's see which one of us is better at our skills." He landed on the ground, catching Dranzer since he was following him. "If you can beat me then I'll tell you. But do keep in mind that I'll be firing back." Rei tossed back Dranzer.

"What are the rules? And what or who are you going to be using?"

"Byakko won't fight you, so I can't use him." Though he could use the powers that Byakko has, but he wanted to practice with his ninjutsu since he did learn all those lovely tricks from "Naruto". "So I'm only using my ninja training, meaning you don't have to worry about me coming up and attacking you with my fist, but I will be aiming at you with one of my weapons."

"Then the rules?"

"Anything goes, but we can't hurt another person."

"Even if we know they can defend themselves."

"Well, if we know that then they just have to be prepared, so they don't count. Oh, everything is our battle ground and we have to end it at the park around the time we normally meet there."

"Are you going to be using Driger?"

"I might, but Driger wasn't the one that had to learn the art of stealth."

"Okay," Kai aimed Dranzer, "So what happens if you win?"

"You can't ask me for the rest of the day."

"And why not forever?"

"Because I can bet that you would keep on challenging me to know, so I think it's a fun idea. That way I can practice my ninja skills and you can practice on whatever Jade is teaching you."

"Sounds fine to me." He launched Dranzer at Rei and he moved to the left, beginning their little game.

Max had to take the All-Starz out to shop for anything they wanted. It was their last day here, so this will be the finally time for Jade and Krypton to give their answer. Max didn't really care about it, so he wasn't thinking of the reason for their actions.

Being the sport stars as they are, they were flirting with anyone from the opposite sex. Max was getting both embarrassed and annoyed at them. As they were walking down the street, Max noticed a bookstore and behind the window was a book on chemistry. It just clicked with Max that Ed could probably used that to help him get more alchemy down. While Max was still recovering during the night, Ed was telling him how Max was really good with the alchemy that he taught him, but there was so much more out there in his world that Max would never know because he couldn't remember it.

"We're stopping in here for a moment." Max went in, not waiting for them to answer. He got the chemistry book that was displayed on the window and other chemistry books. He also saw an actual alchemy book that was translated from ancient China. Max figured these were a good start so he bought them.

" Studying for a test or something? " Michael asked, seeing the kinds of books Max got, though Max was hiding the alchemy one.

" Yeah. " It was like a test, even though Ed was the one giving it to him. Max looked at the clock nearby to see that it was getting closer to one. They normally met around that time, so he figured that it would be best if they went to see what their answer was. " Are you guys done? We have to start heading over to the park now. "

" Why do we need to head over there? " Eddy asked.

" My mom is still interested in their blades and they would only tell us then since most of us don't know where they live. " Max had just realized this, now wondering who did know.

" Then we better get over there. " Emily said and Max led the way.

When they got there, they saw Kai with his launcher in the ready position as he reached for something.

"What is he doing?" Michael asked.

"Stay here." Max could tell that Kai was seriously listening to his surroundings, so he thought it was best for them to stay incase he launched Dranzer at them. "+Kai, what are you doing+"

Kai looked at Max, still launcher in the ready position, "+Waiting for Rei.+" He answered so normally that Max would've laughed if it wasn't for the fact that it was Rei that he mentioned.

"+You wouldn't aim at Max, would you+" Rei was suddenly behind Max, back to back.

"+He can defend himself.+" Kai launched Dranzer fast at Max.

Max noticed that he couldn't move quickly enough out of the way because of his still lack of energy. He was about to use his alchemy when Rei pulled him out of the way and kicked Dranzer back at Kai. He moved so he wouldn't get hit by Dranzer and Dranzer was planted in the bark of the first tree it hit.

"+Nice kick. Are you okay+" Max asked, trying to hide his own bliss that Rei had saved him even though he could've done it himself.

"Yeah. I win Kai." Rei smiled joyously.

"Whatever." Kai went over to get Dranzer from the tree.

"What were you two doing anyway?" Max asked.

"We were playing a game."

"Why was Kai the only one that was using his Beyblade?"

"Rei, that was wicked man!" Michael exclaimed as they came down.

"You got to teach me that kick. It would be perfect for my launching." Steven added.

"I'll think about it." Rei said nervously.

"Hey, you're all here." Tyson said as he and Kenny came down the hill. Max was sad that he couldn't ask Rei anymore than that, though was glad that he was allowed to stand so close to him.

"Now that we don't have to wait for anyone," Kai said as he came back, "We were informed by Jade and Krypton to reinforce that they don't want their Beyblades being probed."

"Why? We're not going to damage them in any way." Emily stated.

"They don't care if you promise that or not, they still don't want it." Rei said.

"What's their reason anyway?" Eddy asked.

"We promised them that we wouldn't tell. They don't like it when many know something about them that they consider personal." Kai said.

"Then why do you and Rei know it?" Steven asked.

"I know because I can be nosey and Kai knows it because Jade is his girlfriend." Rei stated, shocking all the guys of the American team.

"Sorry Max, but that's what they want. Even I'm not allow to touch their Beyblades, no one is." Kai added. It was true, since he did ask and she quickly denied him a chance to hold it. Kai didn't try to push it farther since he didn't want her angry at him.

"Okay, I'll just have to tell Mom that. So, do you guys want to hang out with us? They still have a few hours before they have to leave for their plane." Max didn't want to be alone with them again.

"Sure." Rei answered with a smile, making Max really happy and uncaring if the others came.

The other BladeBreakers agreed and they helped Max baby-sit the All-Starz. They were also getting annoyed with their attitudes, including Tyson.

"Bye Maxy." His mother said as they were about to leave.

"See ya later." He smiled happily.

"Catch ya guys later!" Michael said.

"And tell Krypton bye for me!" Emily added.

As they were walking away, the guys were teasing Emily about it, though she was able to get them back.

"I never noticed how loud they can be." Tyson said as they were leaving the airport.

"You just better not get that loud." Kai warned.

"I don't think I would."

"What's in the bag, Max?" Rei asked.

They all then noticed that he was carrying a bag from a local bookstore. "I was taking them out to shop around so I got something as well." Max answered.

"Oh, that's cool." Rei couldn't read what store it was from, but figured that he shouldn't ask.

"It's from a bookstore." Max added, remembering that he couldn't read Japanese too well.

"Oh, what books did you get?"

"I got some reference books. Nothing really interesting."

"Why did you get reference books?" Tyson asked, "School doesn't start up for a while."

"I thought they were interesting but I figure that you guys wouldn't."

"What are you going to do when most of us are in school?" Kai asked Rei.

"Probably work, but what about your training?"

"That is a good point." Kenny said, "We'll have to bring it up with them soon."

"We might as well see if they're back." Rei looked at Kai.

"Yep, it's better to get this settle before making future plans. After all, Jade does go to school and Krypton does as well."

"I didn't think he went." Tyson said.

"He does, because Jade was yelling at him one day about him not doing his summer work." Kai just realized that he didn't have summer work to do. He figured that he went to a private school, but he couldn't even remember the name of it.

"Kai?" Tyson asked, seeing Kai having a look a terror. Everyone was able to see it, but only Rei knew that he was trying to remember something that he couldn't recollect.

Kai closed his eyes, "I haven't been home in a long while so I was just thinking about what I'm going to do about my schooling too." Kai figured that was the best lie he could give right now.

"You haven't been home? Don't you think that your folks are worried about you?" Max asked.

Kai realized that he didn't know who was waiting for him whenever he got back to his house. He knew that before he left for the World Tournament he had dinner with his Grandfather. But that was all he could remember about being within a house that he would belong to. His mind couldn't draw up anything, and it was starting to worry him. "It's okay," he didn't like the fact that he could no longer hide from his teammates, "They know I was with Jade and Krypton."

"So why not go back to the school you always went to?" Tyson asked.

"It was too boring." Kai stated as if it was a fact. He already knew that Rei was seeing through his lies.

"Then just go with Jade and Krypton. I'm sure that she can get you caught up before school starts again." Kenny offered.

"I'll see."

They got to the hideout and Kai was the only one that went inside to see if they were back. He came back with them behind him.

"This loser said that you wanted to see us for something." Krypton said.

"We were wondering how our training will be when we have to go back to school." Tyson said.

"Oh, I wasn't even thinking about school." Jade stated.

"You not thinking is something that I wouldn't expect to hear." Krypton said with a small laugh.

"Well, with all the concerts that are coming up and focusing on training Tyson and Kai, I didn't imagine that school will become a factor."

"Well then, Einstein, it has now come to your attention so what is your verdict?"

She thought about it for a while before looking at Tyson, "Can you wake up early enough to get some training in or do you think it best to do all training in the evening?"

"I can get up."

"Then we'll test it out tomorrow. Get up around four, the same with you Kai."

"Right!" Tyson said with a smile. Kai nodded his head.

"Then I'll take these two in the evening. So after school, we'll be training so don't be late." Krypton informed.

"What time is that?" Rei asked.

"Around four, we'll also start that tomorrow."

"Right." They both said.

"Okay, then we'll see you tomorrow morning." Tyson said as he and Kenny took off.

"And I'll see you at four." Max said, though really addressing it to Rei. He waved as he left; excited to be giving these to Ed. Max needed to get better to get Ed back home.

"Sorry we acted like cowards today." Jade said.

"It's understandable. Oh, Emily says bye." Rei said to Krypton.

"Whatever and what are you so upset about?" He looked at Kai.

"I can't remember what school I go to or who is supposed to be living me at my house that I'm not returning to." Kai responded back with a nasty tone because Krypton asked in that way.

"Why don't you just hang out with Rei during that time?" Jade offered.

"And why aren't you making him go to school?" Krypton asked.

"Because unlike us, Kai is still looking for his memories. Besides that, he's smarter than you so he doesn't need as much schooling as you."

"I thought we were supposed to go to school even if we're smarter than everyone there." Krypton doesn't like to be told that someone is better than him, especially when it involved Kai.

"I'm bending that rule for Kai." Krypton's eyes glared with hate at Kai and Kai had on his superior look. "Rei, you're not attending school, right?"

"Yep. I probably wouldn't do too well in one." He had ever gone to a school in all his life, so he wasn't too fond of the idea of going to one anyway.

"Okay, so during school hours, Kai will be staying with you." And that finalized that plan.

"Okay, see ya later." Rei then started his way towards his apartment. He smiled to himself at how close they three were; something he knew would be good for their group.

"Ed, I got you something else to study!" Max said as he came into the house.

"What is it?" Ed was sitting on the couch, reading from his journal again.

Max reached into the bag and pulled out a chemistry book, "This! It's just about the closest thing we have to alchemy. Our alchemy became chemistry over the centuries."

Ed got up and took the book. He opened it up and began reading it. Max could tell that he was really interested in it since he walked back to the couch, never taking his eyes off it.

"I got some others in this bag as well. There's also a book on what our alchemy was." Max whispered, learning that he would only hear that and remember it when he was done. Max then went around cleaning up the place since the All-Starz made a mess out of their house.

So now you know that even Krypton is affected by what happened to them when they were young… Isn't that cool? I'm sure that not all Americans are like the All-Starz, but they are. And it's so cool how Kai has to be honest now! He can no longer hide his emotions! I mean, Tyson was able to see that there was something wrong with him, so that just goes to show you that they have a higher level of friendship than when this whole thing started. I'm sure that Max wouldn't mind that, since he's going to be getting that with Rei. I wonder how that will turn out… I mean, Rei is already good at hiding things, sometimes even from Kai, so would it be harder for Rei to hide from Max? And what about Max's feelings towards Rei? Will he be able to conceal them so Rei can't see them? Or will it test his determined mind? Anyway, you know that Max won't be too happy that Kai is going to be spending more time with Rei than he, but he at least should be getting more power and skill with his alchemy… wow, this was long… Honana!


	16. Chap 15 The Royal Battle

Hi again! I hope you're all doing well. I should give you a heads up on what's going on in paradise. Well, the training is going well. Everyone has been developing their skills and they're combining them together rather nicely. And, somehow, Jade got wind of what Kai and Rei were doing while everyone was at school, so the two groups have been fighting each other for a while too. Kai and Tyson normally win, since they've been working together longer and they've also noticed some discontinuity in the other group. As they're fighting… well, I guess I should let you see what Jade and Krypton do.

Rei threw one of his knives at Tyson, having him blocking it with his sword. Kenny had used the idea that the All-Starz had, so this sword was also his launcher. Rei also had an upgrade so that he could launch Driger like he would launch a shuriken. Kai and Max had kept theirs the same, only because Max couldn't show them his alchemy.

Draciel and Dranzer were at each other as Driger launched into the air with Rei. Dragoon was going after him, with Tyson being in the ready position for anything that Rei could throw. They all had learned that Rei was using ninja techniques mostly during this, so Jade had them study up on that as well. Kai didn't tell them that he learned most of his "special" attacks from an anime show since Rei learned that the show would develop techniques for the occasion and was now developing some on his own. Though, Yoma sends him DVDs of important or really interesting ones so he was up-to-date with it.

Rei did the symbols for a clone, though it wasn't for him. Driger became many, all heading straight for Dragoon. Tyson sent him straight through it as he smiled at the challenge. Most were taken out, but the true Drigger hadn't appeared. When Rei landed on the ground, Driger came up from the ground, knocking into Dragoon with a lot of force.

Dranzer went over, knocking Dragoon so that he would regain his balance. Driger came back over to Rei and Max's side. Rei got into the stance of the eight trigram palm rotation. Doing so allowed him to transfer energy into Driger, something that Max had taught him, which allowed him to transfer his ninjitsu to Driger directly. A small chakra field was created around Driger as he was spinning faster and faster. Draciel launched himself at it, hitting it just right so that he was launched into the air. Max secretly placed his hand over the necklace that was under his shirt. Draciel glowed a bit before coming down with a lot more weight since Max made his metal denser for this combo.

Dranzer and Dragoon started to spin around in a circle, creating a whirlwind from it that was slowing down Draciel. Driger managed to cut through it before they finished their combo and Draciel landed in the middle of them, having the earth rise up. When the smoke cleared, Dragoon and Dranzer were knocked out since they couldn't move away fast enough to escape. Tyson and Kai were at least relieved that Draciel didn't hit their blades directly, since that kind of force would destroy them.

Jade yelled from atop of the hill. Krypton was also standing, yelling as well. They always sit back and watch the fight unfold as Kenny was analyzing what they were doing since they don't hold back much. Kenny is also the only one that is allowed to go to both training session so he could monitor their progress. They all picked up their Beyblades and headed back up to them.

"That was so awesome!" Jade said, hugging Kai as he came over.

"What's even better is that my team won." Krypton said as everyone else sat down. They were going to have a picnic since it was a nice day, considering that it was going towards winter.

"So? My team has won more than yours." Jade said, looking at her brother. "That's because my team is superior to yours any day."

"Mine has way cooler attacks." Krypton smiled with pride.

"Do you hear that when you go home, Kai?" Tyson asked with a laugh as they continued. Rei was serving out the food since he knew what was where since he made the food with Kai's help. They still have their own sessions, though now it has a time limit so they don't wear themselves out, and afterwards, Kai comes over to where Rei works and helps out since Jinochi has to go to school.

"Only along the way. They stop once we reach home since they have other things to worry about." Kai said as he was helping.

"Wow, this looks great!" Max said as they were done. They all started to eat without Jade and Krypton since they were still going at it.

"The food will be all gone by the time you're done." Kai said after a while, looking at them.

They looked at Kai, "But he/she won't admit that my team is better." They said in a unison voice. They looked at each other before glaring.

"I didn't know that you two could do that." Tyson commented.

"We don't do it often, that's for sure." Krypton said before sitting down. Jade cuddled next to Kai, sticking out her tongue to her brother.

"Did you make it?" Jade looked at Kai.

"That's for later, Jade." Rei said, knowing what she was referring to.

She pouted, "Bring it out now."

"No skipping meals." Rei smiled. Everyone was actually impressed that he was standing up to her. The only one that does is Krypton.

She stared at him, "Bring it out."

"I won't if you keep that up."

Krypton started to laugh, since Rei had full control over the container that the food came in. "You're beat, girl." He said before rolling over with laughter.

"Kai," She looked at him, "Make him take it out." She looked at Tyson, "And you too."

Kai and Tyson looked at each other before sighing.

"Max, protect Rei." Krypton ordered as Kai and Tyson got up.

" Right! " He smiled.

Rei sighed, "Do we really need to do this?"

"Yes!" Jade said, "Now, get that container!" She ordered. Both Tyson and Kai looked like they really didn't want to do this as they launched at them. Tyson swung his shinai, since his launcher was also made to be a weapon, and they both jumped out of the way. Max and Rei's fighting movements have become synchronized, even though they fight with two different styles.

Kai went after them, learning how to street fight from the people at the hideout. As he and Max were fighting, Tyson was fighting Rei. Rei was just moving from his launches with perfect ease.

"You got to do a lot better than that, Tyson." He said, suddenly on top of Tyson's head. He looked up and on the other side of the stream. "What are they doing here?"

Tyson looked, seeing the Majestics were watching them from across the stream. "Hey!" He called over to them, seemingly not caring that Rei was still on his head.

Kai and Max stopped, looking for to see who Tyson was waving to. "They could've called to tell us that they landed." Max said.

"You knew they were coming?" Kai asked as Tyson ran to bring them over. Rei was walking back over to where Jade and Krypton were.

"Yep." He smiled before following Rei.

Kai sighed before following.

"It's nice to finally meet you face to face." Jade said with a smile. "Would you like to join us?" She pointed to the picnic.

"Why, sure!" Enrique said with a smile, sitting down next to her.

"What were you doing?" Johnny asked with disgust, "It looked like you were doing some kind of circus show."

"Unless you know our names," Krypton said, "It's rude not to ask, you know." Johnny looked a bit ticked.

"We had Mr. Dickenson informed us." Robert said.

"Why didn't he inform us that you were coming?" Jade looked at him.

"We asked him not to." Oliver said, "Since Tyson, Max and Kenny asked us to come over."

Jade looked at Kenny, "For what?"

"I was talking to Robert, letting the other teams that I can reach know about your teaching methods. Rei and I both thought that it would be good for them to get stronger as well."

"But they said that they didn't need it," Tyson continued, "So we told them to come over here to check you guys out."

They both sighed, "And why would you do something like that?" Krypton asked.

"We thought that we would have to show them what we were talking about." Max answered, "You know, like they did with us. They need to experience it before they can get it through their heads."

"Is there something wrong with being the only ones strong?" Jade asked.

"There is." Rei said, "It'll become boring for us if we're the only ones at the top. We won't have any challengers and we could crush the hopes and dreams of others if we're not careful."

"So? Crush them." Krypton said coldly, "If they want to beat you, they'll get stronger one way or another. Those that don't have the heart to survive a defeat shouldn't be babied into believing that they could."

"Obviously, you don't have a warrior spirit." Robert said.

"Pah, I could care less about what you think." Krypton said, sounding a lot like Kai right there.

"We'll come by tomorrow to see what they were talking about." He said as they turned to walk away.

"Thanks for the meal." Enrique said before getting up as well.

"Hey," Jade called to them before they could leave, "Since you're in town, want to come to a concert?"

"What kind?" Oliver asked.

"One where you rock your heart out. These guys are required to go, but we also allow the other teams to come too. So, are you interested?"

Oliver looked at his other teams.

"Why should we go?" Johnny asked.

"It would be rude to decline." Robert said, "What time?"

Jade reached into her pocket, pulling out a flyer and handing it to them, "Show this to the doorman, and he'll show you to your seats."

"We'll be there." And with that, they left.

Rei took out the rest of the food in the container, which everyone was surprised that Krypton went straight for the cookies. Jade was just laughing as her brother pigged out on them. Rei then got up and left.

"Rei?" Max called, but he didn't stop. Max looked at his friends, wondering if they should follow. Kai nodded and everyone else got up to go after Rei.

"Where's everyone going?" Jade asked Kai, the only one staying.

"They're checking up on Rei."

"Did he know about it too?" Krypton asked before putting another cookie in his mouth.

"I think only Tyson, Kenny and Max knew about it." He was positive since Rei wouldn't have asked when he saw them. "Anyway, we'll take the rest of it back." Kai said, packing up everything.

"I don't understand what he's so upset about." Jade said, getting up and helping Kai. "It's not like what Krypton said was wrong. Only the strong survive."

"Rei!" Max called when they caught up. They were nearly back to where he worked.

Rei turned around, "What are you guys doing here?" He was really surprised that they all came.

"What's up, dude?" Tyson asked as they reached him, "I mean, we all know that they were kinda harsh, but that's just how they are."

Rei sighed, "I know that." He looked at him, "But that still doesn't make it right. So, where are the Majestics staying?"

"They said that they would get their own place." Kenny informed, "Tyson offered his place, but I guess they wouldn't be able to handle it."

"So why was I included in your plan at the end?" Rei asked. He hasn't even talked to Kenny about what he personally believes. "And I'm sure getting everyone else stronger wasn't the real reason they came here." He also didn't like how they were using them, as if knowing what it was, as a front to something else. Though, Majestics didn't seem fazed that there was a lie being told.

"I was going to tell you today." Max said. "Kai was going to be originally out of the loop since he lives with them."

"So how was this plan started?"

"I was talking to Robert about Jade and Krypton's training methods, the ones they showed you on that mountain. He then started asking questions about them personally and I started to tell him." Kenny said.

"I found out by going over to his house and seeing him talking to Robert. I thought it would be fun if they battled Jade and Krypton. Could you believe it? They weren't even interested." Tyson added.

"I then suggested that they come and see what we're doing. Though, we were going to come to you to see whether they should come during our bigger match or to the smaller sessions too." Max finished.

Rei sighed, "I don't think Jade and Krypton like the fact that they were left uninformed, but I also don't think they'll like the idea of someone watching them train someone, other than Kenny." He closed his eyes, "Today was supposed to be a fun day for them. They're not open people because of their past and it's that past that has made them who they are today." He looked at his friends, "Don't have them come to the sessions. And when they come to the match, we have to give more than ever."

"They were pretty open with us and to our friends." Tyson pointed out.

"That's because they've seen what they were like. And besides that, they also didn't interrupt their training with us."

"Okay, we won't tell them about the other ones, then." Kenny said.

"Was Mr. Dickenson involved?"

"Probably not, since I was praising them."

Rei nodded, "Is that it?"

"Yeah, but why did you storm off like you did?" Tyson asked.

"Being the only ones on top isn't all that fun. Eventually, we would want to challenge Jade and Krypton so we know where we stand against them."

"I understand that it's boring, but," Rei looked at Tyson, "I came to realize that we've gotten this far because of Jade and Krypton. I'm sure that there are other people out there like them, and so that's who I'm now waiting for. So, if I have to crush a dream or two, I'll do so."

"Tyson!" Max said, looking at him, "That's a horrible attitude to have."

"It's the attitude they have. Sure, I won't purposely crush it like they do, but it's not like we have much of a choice. This is how they're training us, so we should just accept it and move along with them."

"We have no right crushing someone's hopes." Rei said and walked away.

"Rei!" Max said, about to go after him.

"I'll see you guys at the concert." He said and disappeared.

"Sooner or later, he's going to see it." Tyson said as he turned around, "Kai was like that before too."

Max looked at him and Kenny walking away. No, that wasn't the answer. He went home too.

"So what are these Majestic like?" Ed asked after Max told him what happened today.

"They can be pretty snooty, but they're good friends. They have high expectations of us since we were able to beat them. They also have a rich family history."

"What do you mean by rich family history?"

Max thought about it for a moment, "They're like Armstrong in his pride for his family, but they're nothing like him." He laughed.

"You had me worried there for a moment."

"Anyway, I think I know where Tyson is coming from. All the strong opponents we faced have all been similar. Crush your opponent so they can't get back up. The Majestics were the same way, and apparently Kai was like that too."

"What about these Yami Hunters?"

Max looked down. He had been telling Ed about them since they were so weird. "I don't know… They seemed like they could, being so strong, but I don't know if they have that attitude or not."

"So, what do you think about it? Do you think it's right?"

"I don't think so. I know that sometimes, we all just need that right person to give us encouragement to go on… Or a good punch to the face." And they both started laughing.

Max was the first to the meeting spot, since he wanted to make sure that Ed could come to this one.

"Hey Max." Tyson said as he and Kenny showed up.

"Hey!" He smiled.

"Good, everyone's here." Kai said as he came up to them. Since he has been living with them, Kai has been the one to bring them over to the concert hall.

"Where's Rei?" Kenny asked.

"In the tree."

Everyone looked to see Rei leaning against it. Max wondered when he got there. It actually was kinda creepy.

Kai led them all to the concert hall, seeing the Majestics there.

"Glad you could come." Tyson said as they headed over to them.

"What kind of concert is this?" Oliver asked.

"Probably nothing you would be really interested in, but it is good." Kenny said.

"And how do you know we wouldn't be interested?" Enrique asked.

"You can always come in and watch." Kai said, opening the door and letting everyone in. The BladeBreakers led the Majestics over to the seating as Kai went to the door master to let them know that they could start letting the fans in. Jade had told Kai that there was a special song that they prepared, and it was one that Kai couldn't listen in on, so he had no idea why it was special. He figured that he wouldn't tell his teammates that, and was glad that even though Rei was obviously mad, he came anyway.

Once all the fans were happily seated, the lights went out and the spotlights were turned on, searching for the stars of the show. Warm-ups came up on the stage first, getting the crowd excited. Kai looked over at the Majestics, seeing that they weren't too thrilled with it. When Jade and Krypton came on, Kai was glad that they were shocked. Both of them had sparkling articles on, but Jade's was her skirt and Krypton's was his jacket. Kai had learned that people at the hideout make their costumes. They never allowed anyone else, but the people that live there, help out with their concerts. They had even been teaching Kai the drums so that he could join in later.

"Thank you, thank you." Krypton said at the end of their song. He played a cord, getting everyone's attention, "Thank you all for supporting us. You're all great!" The crowd cheered. "Tonight, we would like to thank those who have supported us the most. This is a little something we wrote for them." He looked at Jade and struck an interesting cord to start it off. She started to play the intro to the song. It was like a techno, but not since Krypton was also playing something a bit different than what she was, as if setting the stage with something as she gave the audience a performance.

"I had never thought we will be here now, standing together, you and I, united in amity. To reach out your hand, to be the best, to reach out my hand, to guide you to the top. You, travel the world, seeing the many places. Allow me to stay back and watch, smiling as you win. You always win for you, now win one for the team." Krypton sang as he continued to play his part as Jade got softer with her tune. The only aid that she was giving him, Kai noticed, was giving him a bit more of a rock sound.

"We're together, never to be apart. Side by side, now and forever. Stay with me, together we will follow our dreams. I believe in you, so now believe in me." They both sang together, having Jade's medley picking it up. Krypton didn't really stop playing, though his tune was now carrying little weight.

"Through the tears and pain, the loyalty and the truth, let us hold fast to the certainty we know, for us, destined to be for all of time, you, beginning this journey and learning to be. To have been alone during all of this, but why must we keep the bonds that our past conjured up? Give us eternity and we'll all reach the stars in harmony." Krypton sang, and again, his was taking the lead while Jade was being back up.

"We're together, Never to be ahead. Hand to hand, uniqueness is binding us to one. Stay with me, together we will reach our dream. I believe in you, now believe in me!" They sang together, with Jade's taking control again.

She was also playing a small interlude with her medley, showing off a lot more skill as she was getting the audience moved. Krypton was playing lightly.

"You, win for you," Krypton sang, "win for the team." Jade sang, "Never to get ahead without the others at your side." They both sang, "_So believe in me…_" And they both sang in unison, having the whole place roaring, since they had never done that before.

Then Krypton started to play his solo, ripen up the cords as if they were paper. Jade was keeping her medley up, though it sounded like she was repeating her interlude at a softer key. As soon as he hit the cord to tell everyone that he was done, the whole place roared again.

"We're together, never to be apart. Side by side, now and forever. Stay with me, together we will follow our dreams. I believe in you, so now believe in me. We're together, Never to be ahead. Hand to hand, uniqueness is binding us to one. Stay with me, together we will reach our dream. I believe in you, now believe in me!" You could barely hear the first half of the chorus it was so loud. Kai could see that Jade and Krypton were smiling big, having so much fun up there. Kai started to wonder if they would consider this their life. They were certainly making a lot of money, though that part didn't seem important to them as making the music.

"The promise needs truth," Krypton rapped, "so go north and start looking into the water." Jade sang, "The promise needs dark," Krypton rapped, "so go west and start looking into the earth." Jade sang, "The promise needs truth," Krypton rapped, "so go south and start looking into the fire." Jade sang, "The promise needs light," Krypton rapped, "so go east and start looking into the air." Jade sang. They both hit their final cord and explosions occurred, making the whole place cheering and roaring again. They bowed before leaving the stage.

Kai looked at the Majestics, seeing that they were impressed, but weren't really voicing it. Well, at least not Oliver, Johnny and Robert. Kai looked back over to his team, noticing that Rei was already gone. Kai wondered if Rei was that mad at them.

"So, what did you think of them? Awesome, huh?" Tyson asked as Kai was leading them backstage.

"I have to admit, they were impressive." Robert said.

"Where did Rei go?" Oliver asked.

"He has to work in the morning, so couldn't stay for too long." Kai lied, with only his teammates catching it.

"That was sweet!" Tyson said as they got over to them.

"Thanks." Jade said, still glowing from their performance. "I'm glad that the audience liked it too."

"Where's Rei?" Krypton asked.

"He had to leave since he works in the morning." Kai said.

"Oh, that's right." Krypton said, though Kai could see that they knew it wasn't true. Kai thought it was really funny how everyone on their side was playing it as such.

"So, what did you guys think?" Jade looked at the Majestics.

"Do you do this in your spare time?" Oliver asked.

"Kinda." Krypton said, "It was a spare time thing, creating songs and such, but then we decided to get serious about it and here we are."

"Why get serious about it?" Enrique asked.

"We have a history with singers and performing on stage, so we wanted to get back the feelings again." The BladeBreakers right then knew that they were talking about their family, though only Kai knew that it was a way for them to touch their dead parents.

"Just performers?" Robert asked.

They gave the Majestics a strange look. Krypton sighed, "We'll let you know tomorrow. It's been quite the day and I'm sure that you're tired as well. See ya tomorrow." And with that, he left. "Make sure you bring her back, Kai."

"I will." Kai said, watching him leave. He knew that he only leaves without Jade if he's angry and doesn't want to argue. It actually surprised Kai how little Krypton really fights, but that's probably because he fought before and everyone knows how strong he really is. Though, he's not the leader, his second in command, which Kai never understood. He was stronger than their boss, but Krypton isn't interested.

"Who do you need to bring back?" Enrique asked.

Jade came over to Kai, who watched helplessly as she gave him a passionate kiss in front of everyone. When she done, she wrapped her arms around one of his and smiled at the Majestics, "That should answer everything. Night boys." She winked as she pulled Kai behind her.

"Wow, you look beat." Rei commented as Kai was coming over in the morning.

"That's because Jade was angry at Tyson. I bet that Krypton will be at Max, so you should prepare yourself." Kai warned. "Everyone at the hideout wants you to be their cook now."

Rei laughed, "You're the one that made the deserts."

"They wouldn't believe me. So, we'll skip on today."

Rei nodded, "By the way, they were planning on leaving you out, since you live with them."

"I thought you weren't involved, so why sound like you were?"

"I thought they were seeing my point of view. I think they just want to see how they fair against Jade and Krypton."

"They won't even fight against them." Kai said, "I've come to know them, and their fights with us was rare. I've seen many challengers coming up to Jade alone to fight her, but she gets me to fight them instead."

"Maybe because she has you with her means that she can use you."

"I don't think so. It never seemed like her first choice. Her first choice is to ignore them, like they're not even there."

"Do most back down?"

"They get angry and start yelling at her. Jade then turns around and says something along the lines of you're not worth the effort or the time. If they continue, I fight them. I've seen a few people do the same thing to Krypton and he scares them away."

"So I guess Mr. D just happened to catch one of their rare moments. I bet they weren't too happy about that." Rei laughed.

"Probably not." Kai smiled.

"Well, let's head inside." Rei said as they went into the restaurant.

"Not fighting this morning?" Jinochi asked.

"Nope! Jade worked Kai out way too much." Rei laughed as he opened the door to come over to the other side. Kai followed as well.

"Why?"

"There's a team here that got them on the wrong side and because the rest of our teammates knew they were coming and didn't tell them." Kai answered.

"I guess that means you two didn't know about it."

Rei nodded, "I was going to be told about it, but they arrived before they could ask for my advice."

"What would that have been?" Kai asked.

"They didn't know whether to tell them about the sessions or not. I'm assuming that they told them about the match that we have."

"If they appeared at the sessions, we wouldn't be able to walk." Kai said with a bit of laughter in his voice. "It's okay with them for others to see the fruit of their labor, but not the labor."

"I figured as much, so I advised yesterday to not tell them." Rei smiled.

"Well, I guess I better let Kai make breakfast this morning, since he hardly does." Jinochi said as he stepped back a bit.

As the costumers were coming in, they were surprised to see someone new working with Rei. A few of them knew who Kai was, coming in more than just the mornings. The other ones were asking a lot of questions and Rei was glad to see that Kai wasn't bothered by it.

"So, this is where you work." Oliver said as the Majestics walked in.

"What are you doing here?" Johnny asked, seeing Kai as well.

"Kai doesn't have anything else to do so he comes here." Rei answered.

"I heard that everyone goes to school but you." Enrique commented as they took a seat.

"My school is weird like that. So I have a lot more freedom than the others." Kai lied, seeing that Jade and Krypton don't tell Mr. Dickenson everything since everyone in the BladeBreakers knew that Kai doesn't go to school.

"So, what brought you guys all the way to see me?" Rei asked with a smile. "Oh, Jinochi-nii," Rei looked over at him, "This is Robert, Oliver, Johnny and Enrique." He pointed them out, "Majestics, this is Jinochi." Rei said with a smile.

"It's nice to meet you. You're all from Europe, right?" Jinochi asked.

"Yes." Robert said.

"It must be really interesting. I heard that you all have nobility in your blood."

"Do you intend on fighting them?" Kai asked.

"Yes, we do, actually." Johnny said, "We keep hearing that they're strong."

"They are strong." Rei stated, "That's why Mr. Dickenson has them training us."

"Does Krypton have any warrior blood in him?" Robert asked.

Rei and Kai looked at each other before thinking. "Probably not," Kai said, "But does that really matter?"

"Hey, could you read the menu to us? We don't know Japanese." Enrique asked.

"I'm sure Homer would've taught it to you if you asked." Rei said.

"Huh? How do you know that brat?"

"I happened to have met him." Rei smiled. Then Kai started to list what they have and what they had inside it.

"Where did you meet him?" Enrique continued after they ordered.

"He came along with a team in the last tournament we were in. I found him, and his friends, interesting so I talked to him. That's how I knew that you knew them." Kai could tell that he wanted to keep it a secret that he knew him through a kinsman. Also, they've been exchanging letters, though Homer writes in Japanese while he writes in Chinese since Wu wants to force Rei into learning the written language as well.

"What team?" Oliver asked.

"They're known as the Yami Hunters. They were created by a man called Kaiba Seto, who is a rival of Mr. Dickenson. We were being trained to fight them, originally."

"So, did you win against them?"

"You would've heard if we lost." Kai said, cooking their food.

"If you beat them, why was he worried that you might lose?" Johnny asked.

"It wasn't an easy victory." Rei said, "So it was probably a good thing that we got the training that we did."

Before they could ask something else, Kai was asking Rei how to make some of the orders. Rei happily showed him, glad that Kai got them to stop talking about that tournament.

"Well, I got to get going." Jinochi said as he got up.

"Have fun at school, Jinochi-ni." Rei said with a smile, with Jinochi rubbing his head before leaving.

"What was that?" Johnny asked.

"What?" Rei looked at him.

"That. It was like you were a kid or something."

"And who is he, exactly?" Oliver asked.

"The only thing you need to know is that he's connected to Rei." Kai said, looking at them now, "So don't sniff around things that aren't worth the effort."

"I have an idea," Enrique started, "How about when we win against Krypton today, you tell us everything we want to know."

"Why would.." Kai started, but was interrupted.

"I accept." Rei said. Kai looked over at him, seeing that he went to his old self. He's been getting out of that with everyone ever since he started to call Jinochi his older brother. He has been better about not reverting back to this side, the side that Kai knows he would put up when facing Mr. Dickenson. He then went back to cooking.

"Good, then we'll see you at the match." Robert said. They got up and paid for their meals.

"Why did you accept?" Kai asked as he went over to pick it up.

"Why not?" Rei laughed, "Krypton won't lose."

"That doesn't explain why you accepted. You could've declined and when…"

"I doubt they would pose the same offer to you." Rei interrupted him again. He sighed, "I don't mind, so don't let it bother you."

"It bothers me already." He commented. "But, if you don't want to tell me, whatever."

Rei smiled before going back to work. He just realized that they're connected to Mr. Dickenson, and if they're coming to him, asking questions, then that means that they know that he had the answers. Rei didn't know what they would ask, but he has a feeling that he wouldn't want to answer them.

"Rei." Krypton asked as he and Max were training.

Rei came over to him, "Yeah?" He blinked.

"Something wrong?" He asked in a low voice. "You seem upset."

"Nothing I can't handle. Have I've been making wrong moves?"

"I'm mad at Max too, but you shouldn't be at your breaking point."

"Max's been able to keep up, though." Rei pointed out.

"That's not the point, Rei. No one is supposed to know, so if you're near it, then you might just go over it."

Rei nodded. "Understood. Is that it?"

Krypton nodded and Rei went back over. He was consciously paying attention to his skill level, keeping it down from his breaking point.

"So, how was the morning?" Jinochi asked Kai as he came in. Since Rei has to leave a bit before school lets out, Kai stays behind until Jinochi comes in.

"Something is going on that Rei doesn't want to tell me." Kai said as he finished up.

"Really? What was said?"

"They're going to challenge Krypton, and if they win, Rei has to answer all their questions. I don't understand why Rei would even accept it."

"So he didn't tell you?"

Kai shook his head, "Though, I'm worried since he put on the face that I know he would put for Mr. Dickenson. The one that tells you nothing as you're talking to him."

Jinochi placed his hand on Kai's head, "Rei won't stay like that for long. I promise." He smiled,

Kai nodded, wondering why hearing that was calming to Kai, "Are you going to come to the match?"

"You can go, Jinochi." Their boss came out. "I didn't like it either, so I want to make sure that Rei is alright."

Jinochi nodded, "Thanks."

He walked back into his office. Kai wasn't sure what to think of him, since he's known by all the customers, though he doesn't come out a whole lot. Kai looked at Jinochi, "It's going to be at its normal location. Do you know where that is?"

"Rei said that it's near a stream near the park, but other than that, I don't."

"Can I call Jade so she knows to come here?" Jinochi brought out his cell phone and handed it to Kai as he took the next order.

"So, the Majestics want to fight Krypton, eh? Why only him?" Jade asked with no hint on what she thought about that.

"You can ask when they get there." Kai answered.

"I will.. I'll bring Tyson and Kenny with me as well."

"Okay. See ya."

"Bye!" She said with a smile in her voice before hanging up.

"Should I bring something to eat?" Jinochi asked.

"Just in case everything is better when they lose." Kai said, getting up as he helped with the preparations. Jade came in with Tyson and Kenny, and Jinochi asked them what they would want. Kai noticed that it put Jade in a good mood hearing that Kai and Tyson had no doubt that Krypton would win against them.

They helped Jinochi carried it over to the site. They were the first ones there, like they normally are.

"Oh, so this is the place." Jinochi said, looking around.

"That's right. You never seen us fight before, have you?" Tyson asked. "I'll tell ya, it's amazing."

Jinochi smiled, "Do you think I'll see a match today?"

"That depends on how annoying the Majestics are planning on being." Jade said coldly.

"Is there a reason you don't like them?"

"Jinochi-nii!" Rei said as he ran up, "What are you doing here?" He had a big smile on his face.

"The boss allowed me to come watch. I hope you don't mind." He lifted up the container, "Kai and I also made snacks for everyone."

Rei looked at Krypton and he nodded. Rei turned back around, "You're going to be so impressed. Let's go, Max!"

" Yeah! " He said as he passed them.

"We'll go easy on him since you're watching." Tyson said to Jinochi as he and Kai headed down.

As Max was heading down, he was looking for Ed. He said that he would come today to see the Majestics, but if they could get a match in, then he would be able to see how he has been using Alchemy during these. He spotted him near a tree that was a far away. He smiled before catching up to Rei. "We have to make sure we win today."

Rei nodded with a smile, "I agree."

They got into their positions. Tyson had his sword out and Kai had his launcher in the ready position. Rei was standing up, in a pose that said that he was ready for anything, and Max had his launcher closer to his chest, having his arms create a circle.

"Ready…" Kenny said, "Set… and…"

"We would need you to postpone your fight for the moment." Everyone looked up to see that the Majestics were coming along the bridge.

"What are you doing?" Jade asked.

"We came here to challenge Krypton, and that area would be perfect." Robert explained.

Krypton looked at his team, "We'll take care of these losers."

"Hey!" Johnny yelled. "We said that we challenge you! So…"

Krypton looked at him, making him stop in his sentence. Kai noticed that it was same look he gives when someone really pisses him off. "They don't listen to you. If you think you can handle us, then prove it by beating them."

"They're not the ones we're interested in." Robert said.

"What?" Kai said, relaxing, "Are you guys afraid that you're going to lose to us?"

"It's because Krypton doesn't have a warrior spirit." Oliver said, "And because he tries to be a noble warrior with no warrior blood within him."

Rei appeared right in front of Jade, stopping her from charging at them, "HOW DARE YOU SAY THAT!"

"Jade." She looked at her brother as he looked at the Majestics, "We might not know what's in our blood, but at the same time, we don't care all too much. Unlike you pricks, that doesn't matter to us. And it's because of your arrogance and high-strung attitude that I won't fight you. Frankly, you're not worth the time because I don't want to embarrass your pathetic bloodline." That got all of them.

"Brother." Everyone paused, since they knew that she doesn't address him like that, "I'll take care of them. They insulted our father and mother."

Krypton closed his eyes for a moment in thought.

"We didn't challenge you, Jade." Enrique said, "It would be un-gentlemanly for us to fight against you."

Rei stopped her before she had a chance to launch her Beyblade, "Let go of me!" She yelled at Rei before looking at her brother, "Call off your pet."

Krypton walked up to them, placing his arm around Jade, "How about you guys fight Jade instead?"

"We already…" Enrique started.

"I know, I know, you don't want a girl to kick your asses…"

"You think she stands a chance against us?" Johnny asked.

"You guys are the ones with no chance." Krypton smiled.

Johnny was ticked again, but looked at Robert, "Well?"

"You actually want to accept?" Oliver asked.

"They've been insulting us this whole time." All the BladeBreakers knew that they do that a lot. They only stopped insulting them when Jade started to date Kai, but Krypton still does it every once in a while.

"Then we accept." Robert said.

"What?" Oliver and Enrique said together.

"Don't tell me that you two are weaker than the others." Krypton said. "No wonder you're afraid." The others sighed as they made their way up the hill. Max really wanted to show off his stuff.

"Fine!" Enrique said, "We'll take both…"

"Jade is the only one fighting." Krypton smiled. "There's really no reason for both of us to be there." Rei let go of Jade and walked over to Jinochi. The Majestics and Jade went down to where the BladeBreakers were.

"You okay?" Jinochi asked.

Rei nodded, "Yeah… Sorry."

Jinochi placed his hand on Rei's head, "It's okay. Maybe next time."

"Three…" Kenny announced, "Two… One… Let it rip!" And they let their Beyblades lose.

In about three seconds, Jade had gotten Johnny, Oliver and Enrique. Even though Robert's was still standing, Jade's blade was attacking it at a really fast speed.

"Wow, she must be really ticked off." Krypton commented with a laugh.

"Why say that?" Tyson asked, though everyone was amazed.

"Right now, she wants them to suffer before finishing them off. The only reason the other three were taken out was because she thought they would last the first hit. Only with Robert did she get the power right."

Kai smiled, kinda liking this. This was how strong they really are. They all knew this, but never had the chance to see it in action. She was still standing still, her eyes fixed on her blade. Robert was getting thrown off by that, like they were.

"Did you tell them about that?" Krypton asked Kenny.

"Yeah, I did mention it to them. I guess it's hard to imagine unless you see it first hand."

Then, she knocked him down as well. She recalled her blade, "Pathetic." She said as she walked back up the hill.

"That was awesome, Jade!" Tyson said.

She smiled, "That's what we're going to get you guys at."

Kai wrapped his arms around her, "Feeling better?"

She smiled at him, "Yeah."

"One more try!" Johnny suddenly demanded.

"Guys," Tyson said, "She was toying with Robert the whole time."

They all looked at him, seeing the shock in his eyes.

"Is that true?" Oliver asked, though only Rei could hear their conversation.

"It… it was like I didn't even know how to Beyblade…" Robert said in shock. "I.. I was just her play thing…" He closed his eyes, having it all sink in now.

"Should we do something about them?" Max asked, seeing that they were facing reality.

"I say leave them alone. There's no point…" Jade started before Kenny interrupted her.

"Ahh…" He said.

"What? Lost some of your footage?" Tyson asked.

He looked over at Jade and Krypton, worry on his face, "Biovolt just sent me an email."

And that's where I'm leaving you guys! HA! Aren't I nice? And how about Jade's raw power? It's something, isn't it? I guess that's what they get for interrupting their day in paradise. Though, I wonder why they were so angry with the Majestic before. It might've been avoided if they were all nice to each other. I guess we just have to see if they reveal their reason to someone. Though, with this added twist, it's going to be interesting. Bye!


	17. Chap 16 Evil Wants the World Again

Hi! I know that you're dying to know what happens now, huh? Because I didn't let Kenny say what was in the email, and all you know is that Kenny doesn't like it. But, if it deals with BIOVOLT, you know that it can't be good, since of their past history. Though, how did they get Kenny's email… And you have to wonder if they're going to handle it on their own, since it would appear that Mr. Dickenson hadn't received it… They have the Majestics there, so they could, rightfully, not tell Mr. D and go over to stop them, if they need to be stopped… Though, maybe they just want them over for some tea and had requested that they all wear dresses. That would be funny. It's like: we're sorry for torturing you in the past, please come over to Russia to have tea with us so we can talk it out.

"What? Lost some of your footage?" Tyson asked.

Kenny looked over at Jade and Krypton, worry on his face, "Biovolt just sent me an email."

"What did they say?" Jade asked, moving over to Kenny.

"They're inviting us to a tournament that they're holding in Siberia."

"What are you worried about?" Krypton asked, "If we don't go then there's nothing to worry about."

"Do you not know what they tried to do?" Johnny asked.

"We know what they tried to do before. But, our main consider is our team, not the fate of the world."

"We might not have a choice." Kenny said, getting everyone's attention again, "Mr. Dickenson sent me an email as well, saying that we all need to head over to his office today."

"Let.." Jinochi started but Rei looked up at him.

"I'll be back at work later, okay?"

"Rei." He looked over at Kai, "I'll come by later to tell you what we're going to do."

"Why?" Rei asked, having an attitude like that would be a weird request. "I might as well put my opinion in as well when we go talk to him."

Jinochi placed his hand on Rei's shoulder, making him look at him. "You better come back, okay?"

Rei nodded before looking at everyone else, "Let's good. We shouldn't keep him waiting."

With the Majestics' help, they got there in no time. They were also going to the meeting so they could let Mr. Dickenson know that they will get the BladeBreakers there. Rei wasn't really silent, as his friends thought he would be.

"It's obviously a trap." Jade said, "You shouldn't be sending them to something like that."

"I know that there's a high chance of that, but it's a risk that they just have to be prepared for. Judy told me that she also got the same email and they're already heading over there." Mr. Dickenson said.

"Then let the other teams beat them."

"They are the World Champions." Everyone could tell that it was getting tense as they stared at each other.

"Then we'll replace Rei and Kai." Krypton said.

"What?" Mr. Dickenson looked over at him.

"Jade and I will replace Rei and Kai on the team. We're stronger than them and we're their official coaches, so it should be a legal move. And we can make up the ruse that they've injured themselves to the point where they couldn't handle a Beyblade properly."

"That would only be acceptable for Kai."

"Why not Rei?" Tyson asked.

"Only if he was truly injured would I allow him to stay." Kai looked over at him, seeing that he wasn't giving any thought about what was going on.

"What if they…" Jade started.

"I'm not going to let my guard down twice, you know." Rei said with a chuckle. "When are we leaving, Mr. D?"

"When can you have a plane ready?" Mr. Dickenson looked at Robert.

"The day after tomorrow."

"Why so long?"

"The plane we brought isn't big enough to fit everyone."

He nodded, "BladeBreakers," he looked at them, "The Yami Hunters will be there as well."

They all paused before Rei smiled, "We beat them once. Don't worry."

"Glad to hear. Also, pack up for the wilderness. I don't know what that means, but that's what it says in the email."

They all nodded before heading out.

"What the hell was that?" Jade asked Rei as they got out.

Kai touched her shoulder, making her look at him. He looked at Rei, "I'll still come by tomorrow, okay?"

Rei nodded and left without saying anything.

"Kai?" Jade looked at him.

"What was with the tension in there?" Enrique asked. "Did something happen that we don't know about?"

"Rei and I were kidnapped by a team that was under them." Kai looked at them. "So, for right now, don't bother him."

"We weren't…"

"That means don't go to the restaurant tomorrow. Don't go near him."

"Okay, we won't." Enrique said before they left. "We'll email Kenny the meeting spot later."

"Is that why Rei didn't argue before?" Max asked once they were gone. "Because they were there."

"That's the kind of person he is." Kai said, looking at him, "He would rather look normal than let everyone know there's a problem."

"He only has episodes, right?" Tyson asked, "It's not like he has tried to hurt himself, or worst. So we shouldn't be too concern." The look on everyone else's face wasn't encouraging. "He did? When?"

"At the cabin." Kai said, "He tried twice."

"Twice?" Max asked, only knowing of one. "Wait.. you mean those cuts on his arms?"

Kai nodded, "He didn't want anyone to know about it… To know that he wasn't strong enough to deal with it."

"We only knew because Kai happened to check up on him while he was giving himself those cuts." Jade said.

"Does…" Tyson started to ask.

"Of course Mr. Dickenson doesn't know." Krypton sad, "We would never tell him something like that. But, we don't want Rei to be used again and have something worst done to him. Plus, it seems like he has finally moved on from it, so we didn't want him to go back there."

"Do we need to watch him?" Kenny asked.

"I'm going to watch him for most of the time." Kai said, "Though, I'm not sure about when I leave him… Even tonight…"

"Maybe we should invite him over to one of our homes." Tyson said, "That way we can keep an eye on him."

"He doesn't like when a lot of people know something's wrong. I only told you since I don't know what will happen when we get there. He might even act normal for all I know. I just didn't want everyone to look at him weird when he does something abnormal."

"So we can't do anything more beyond watching?" Tyson asked angrily.

"I don't understand why he's like that, but having a lot knowing about his problem might just force him to act more normal, not allowing him to show what he really feels. It took me just being there when he wasn't his normal self to get him to trust me."

"I guess that's true.." Max said, remembering how he eat everything so he would appear like nothing was wrong. "So he really doesn't trust us?"

"Not with anything personal." Kai said, "With that, he doesn't trust anyone, but his kin."

"Really?" Kenny asked.

Kai nodded, "They all know his past, so he trust them with that, though I don't know if he would tell them everything, either.. Are they going to be there?"

"We only know that three other teams are going to be there. Do you think the Yami Hunters will bring their friends again?" Kenny asked.

"They might… They all will probably be there."

"All of them?" Tyson asked.

"We've only met a few of them."

Tyson sighed, "Well, Rei seemed comfortable around them, right? So we probably should seek them out so he can relax a bit."

Kai smiled, "I agree." He looked at Max.

He nodded, "So, should we just leave Rei to you?" He didn't want to ask.

"Jinochi will be watching him too so I'll leave everything to him while he's around."

They nodded before heading out. Max went over to where he last saw Ed, seeing that he was leaning on one of the buildings.

"So, what's going on?" Ed asked.

"I'll tell you as we go home." Max started from the beginning, figuring that he didn't hear what the Majestics were saying.

"Man… That's harsh." Ed said. "I guess if he runs off, I'll follow him to make sure he doesn't do something to himself."

Max smiled, "Thanks." Though, Max knew that he wouldn't be able to do that. He had always meant to send Ed back to either the time he came from or to his own world. Ed had told him about the gate that he used to get here. Though, Max had to teach himself about how to use it. Ed had told him that it requires something of a human to connect to it, like a human transmutation or human sacrifices or a child, but Max thinks it's something simpler than that. It might just take blood to activate it, though he's not positive on why or if that's the case. He was going to check that out tomorrow. He was kinda hoping to spend more time with Ed, but he promised himself that before the next tournament, he would send him back.

"You shouldn't be going?" Jinochi said as they were eating at a ramen house.

"I have to." Rei blew on the part he had in his chopsticks. "Someone has to save the world."

"The world is a big place to save." Jinochi sighed, "Why are you really going?"

Rei looked over at him, "A loyal puppet doesn't have a say in such matters."

"You're not a puppet."

Rei smiled, "I am for now."

"I just realized that you've never been to my house. Want to go tomorrow?"

Rei nodded, "That sounds cool. Can I meet your friends too?"

"Sure. I'll call them up before we get off of work and you can meet them."

Rei smiled. Afterwards, Jinochi made sure that Rei got back to his apartment before heading home.

"He wants to see us?" Jade asked as Krypton and Kai were cooking in the morning.

"That's right." Kibu handed her the paper.

"Thanks." Krypton said, letting him leave the room.

"What does he want to see you guys about?" Kai asked as he brought over some food. They woke up early so they could all eat together. Normally, once Kai and Jade leave for their training session, Krypton would go back to sleep.

"Apparently," Jade said as she held up her cup of coffee, "he wants to talk to us about the trip." She took a sip.

"Why didn't he do so yesterday?"

"Because he knew that we would get pissed off and he doesn't want to reveal stuff." Krypton said.

"Reveal stuff?" Kai asked as they sat down.

"Yeah, Mr. Dickenson loves to keep secrets. We don't know all of them, but we know the ones that deal with us. Probably didn't want the Majestics to know about them, since he has some dealings with them as well." Krypton said uncaring.

As they ate breakfast, Kai wondered if Rei knew most of them. Obviously, he didn't know about Jade and Krypton, but he was the only one that was prepared for them. Rei had been with Mr. Dickenson longer than anyone else, but Kai could see that Rei probably would now choose to be away from him, if he could help it.

"Do you know why Rei had known Mr. Dickenson?" Kai asked Krypton as they were cleaning up.

"Never bothered to ask. Why? You think it would have to do with why he didn't refuse?"

"I know that Rei has known Mr. Dickenson longer, but I don't know much more than that."

"Why not ask him?"

"I'll learn about his past once I know about mine… It's a deal that we made."

"Do you want to come?"

"Huh?" Kai looked at him.

"To the meeting. It's going to be before we go to school, so you won't miss meeting up with Rei at his work place."

"I can't hide myself like Rei can."

"Oh yeah… Then we'll let you know when we return later."

"Not going to come by?"

"I figured, since Rei seems to trust you, that you should be with him." Krypton sighed, "I don't want him to have to face Russia until he's ready. What I saw yesterday, I'm not sure if he is." He looked at Kai, "If you see that he shouldn't come, then let us know and we'll find a way of keeping him here as we head off."

Kai nodded, "I'll look, then."

"Good… And the same goes for you. Since they still want you, it might be better if you stay here too."

"And not do anything to avenge what they did to Rei?"

"The whole team will get that, don't worry. After all, I don't think any one of us will ever forgive what they did to him."

"Hey!" Tyson called as Kai headed over to the meeting spot. "Where's Jade?"

"Mr. Dickenson called them in and they decided to go in the morning. Where is the meeting spot for tomorrow?" Kai looked at Kenny.

"They said to meet up at the spot where you guys have your matches and they'll have someone pick you up at 8 am."

"I'm going to try to have Rei not go."

"You think he's not ready?" Tyson asked.

"With his mask, it's hard to tell if he is or not, but I guess if he has it up and it's obvious, then that probably means that he's not ready… I'll be better able to figure that out when I see him today."

"Are you coming?" Kenny asked.

"If I convince Rei to stay, then I'll stay too to make sure that he stays."

"Don't worry about us, then." Tyson said, making Kai look at him. He smiled, "We'll cream those guys for you guys."

"I'm more worried about you and Max, since we're not going to be there." Kai admitted, "Especially you."

"Are you saying that Max and I can't team up?"

"You'll have to practice to come up with new moves."

"And you and Rei are better able to do that?" Kenny asked.

"We've still been battling each other, so we're familiar with how each other moves. Though, using his ninja training isn't going to be easy if it's a dish battle."

"Yeah.. We've been training off of a dish, haven't we?" Tyson realized. "Kenny, maybe you should ask Robert if they can have a dish on the plane. That way, we can get back into that groove."

"I don't think it'll be on a dish." Kenny said. "The email Mr. Dickenson had said that we have to prepare for the wilderness. I don't think they would've mentioned that if it wasn't going to be an outdoor thing."

"That is a good point… So, I guess we don't have to worry. Though, I'm going to hope that you two don't come." Tyson looked at Kai, "After all, I don't want Rei doing something worst."

Kai nodded, "Let's practice before you go."

"Right." Tyson said with a smile.

As Max was heading over to his school, he noticed that Kai was leaning on a building. It was a good thing that Ed decided that he would pack for Max and him, since he was planning on coming as well. "Hey, why are you here?" Max asked, stopping near him.

"I'm going to try to convince Rei not to come. If I do succeed, then you and Tyson will have to come up with new moves while heading over. Jade and Krypton would be replacing us."

"Do you think…"

"I don't know anything until I see him today. It's not like I can read him perfectly, but I've seen the kinds of mask he can put up. If he's forcing one on, then I'll know he's not ready."

Max nodded, hating the fact that Kai would be the only one to judge that. "Should I go to the training session?"

"Probably… I'll let Rei go to that as well. Also, meet at the place where we have our matches for the Majestics to pick you up at 8 am."

"Are you going to tell that to Rei?"

"I'll try not to tell him."

"Want me to tell Krypton?"

"I'll tell him when I go home."

"Where will you be staying, if you don't go?" Max had a feeling where, but he wanted to make sure.

"Probably with Rei… Or I'll just stay at the hideout. I haven't decided yet."

"Is that all?" Max wanted to get away before he became really angry.

"Yeah." Kai said, getting up and walking away. Max watched him for a moment before heading over to school.

"Hey!" Rei said as Kai approached him. He was wearing a smile on his face, "Do we still have to go to the sessions?"

Kai nodded, "Jade and Krypton don't like their schedules being messed up."

"Though, doesn't the tournament itself do that?"

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean they like it. Do you still want to spar?" Kai wondered if he was good enough to see his mask as he thought.

Rei nodded, "Yeah, we have the time." He smiled as he got off the wall. He stood in front of Kai and Kai could tell that it was different than it normally was. The stance from yesterday was different as well, though Kai figured it was to show off his ninja skills. This stance, it looked like he was daring Kai to attack. Kai knew that he wasn't able to beat Rei in a pure fist fight, but this just showed him how much he still needed to go. Everyone around him was already fighter, even Tyson, so why wasn't he? He didn't lack anything before.

Rei blinked a bit, "Is there something wrong?" They had changed their style of fighting because Kai wanted to get better at fist fights.

Kai shook his head, "Just realizing what a difference there is between us."

Rei blinked before smiling, "Sorry." He tapped his foot against the ground. Kai then noticed that he was trying to get himself in a lower stance. Was he seriously that weak that Rei had to give him a handicap? "You're eyes are really sharp." Rei said with a smile.

"Rei…" Kai looked at the ground.

"Hm?"

"Am I really that bad?" He looked at Rei, who looked to be confused, "Am I really that weak of a fighter that you need to give me handicaps?"

Rei sighed, "I've been training to be a warrior since I could walk and I've never stopped learning, as you know." He scratched his head, "It's not that you're a bad fighter. Your moves are improving greatly, and you're being a lot better about your openings, but there seems to be this wall."

"A wall?"

Rei nodded, "Not something that you can overcome by training, because training itself will only get you so far in life. It's your attitude that has a wall. The rest of us don't really have that wall there. I don't know whether it's something that can be changed or not, but I at least know that you've been lacking it ever since the tournament."

"I see… Maybe it has to do with my father…" Kai commented to himself.

"How's that been going anyway?"

"You would be one of the first to know if I found something new. Though, I also haven't been trying too hard to look around. And don't worry about sparing today."

"Why?" Rei raised an eyebrow.

"You're normally better at hiding your strength."

Rei looked at the ground before nodding. "Yeah… I guess you're right."

"Something wrong?"

"Not really." He smiled before turning round, "Let's go before Jinochi-nii leaves."

Kai nodded and followed him to the restaurant. He wasn't exactly sure what that meant with Rei unable to hide his strength. He knew that, at least, it wasn't a good thing.

"That was quick." Jinochi commented as they came in.

"Apparently, I scared Kai too much." Rei laughed a bit. Kai was glad that at least Rei seemed happier when around Jinochi.

"Really? Why?" He looked at Kai as he came to the back.

"I just realized that there was a bigger gap than I originally thought there was. I figured I'll give myself a break."

"Oh, has Kenny told you when we needed to meet the Majestics?" Rei asked.

"He didn't have that information this morning."

"Do you still need to go to your session?" Jinochi asked, looking at Rei.

Rei nodded, "Kai said that they don't like their routine messed up."

"I see… And what about your big match?"

"I'm not really sure on that one." Kai said, "Though, I don't think that they would want to wear us out that much before having to go over, no matter what time we leave."

"Well, if they do want us to fight, then Jade will probably come here to pick you up." Rei said.

After a while, Jinochi had to leave for school. As they worked, Rei kept asking questions about when they would be meeting to head over to Russia. Kai was glad that he could answer them as if he didn't know. Though, with Rei's constant questioning, Kai could tell that something was wrong, but he couldn't tell where. He was still smiling most of the morning, as if there wasn't anything wrong. Kai couldn't really tell if they were forced or not, but he also knew that they wouldn't be so many unneeded ones. Kai also never realized that Rei was this good at hiding, since he originally thought it would be easy to tell between when there was a mask and when it was him.

"Rei!" Max said as Rei came up to the meeting spot.

"Krypton's not here yet?" He asked as he looked around.

"Nope."

Rei stared off for a moment before looking at Max with a smile, "Do you happen to know when we're supposed to meeting tomorrow?"

"I haven't seen Kenny all day. Though, I bet when Krypton gets here, he'll know."

Rei nodded and they waited for a moment. "I guess he's not coming." He sighed, "Probably means no big match either."

"Really?" Max asked with joy. He only recoiled when Rei gave him a weird look.

"Do you not like them?"

"Oh, no, not that…" He said nervously, "It's just that I have something to do before I can be ready, and it's going to take me a long time for it to be ready."

"Do you not want to practice today?"

"Only if you want to."

Rei thought about it for a moment, "I guess not really… Oh well, we'll have plenty of time to train together when we go to Siberia." He smiled.

Max gave back a sad smile, wanting Kai's plan to work. "Yeah."

"See ya." Rei said as he headed back the way he came. Max watched him for a moment before running over to his house. He needed to get that circle ready.

"So, how was he?" Jinochi asked as he came in.

"I couldn't really tell if there was a mask or not, but I do know that something isn't right. It's probably best that we don't go."

"I would agree." Kai looked at Jinochi, "I know that Rei won't tell us what's really going on, but he is trying to tell us."

"Like what? Why can't he tell us directly?"

Before Jinochi could answer that, Rei came back in, "Jinochi-nii!" He said with a smile.

"You're early." Jinochi commented.

"Krypton never showed up. Do you know why, Kai?" Rei looked over at him.

"No… I know that…" He started, now becoming worried about them. It was understandable why Jade couldn't come this morning, but there shouldn't have been any reason for Krypton not to.

"Kai?" Rei asked, leaning over the counter. "What's wrong?"

Kai shook it off, "Nothing…"

"C'mon, you can tell me." He smiled.

Kai sighed, "Come around to the other side then."

Rei nodded before heading over. Kai really wanted to know what happened, but knew that Rei would need him a bit more. "So?" Rei asked when he was next to Kai.

"I knew that they had a meeting with Mr. Dickenson this morning. They should've gone to school afterwards."

"Oh.. Maybe you should check up on them. I here now, so you don't have to stay."

"Kai," Kai looked at Jinochi, "Rei's right. Don't worry about us, okay?"

Kai nodded before heading out.

"They're out shopping for the trip." Yuki said to Kai when he asked. "I think they said that they were getting theirs, yours and Rei's stuff."

"When did they go?"

"As soon as they got back from school and changed. The only thing you can do right now is wait for them, since they didn't tell us where they were heading."

Kai looked at the door before sighing. "Has everyone eaten already?"

"You're going to cook for everyone?" Yuki raised his eyebrow.

"For those that want any." He said as he headed over to the kitchen.

"Hey, why not ask Rei to come over too?" Yuki asked with an excited voice, one of the many that loves Rei's cooking.

"Then hope that Rei and I don't have to leave on the trip." Kai said before turning the corner. Though, he just realized that they wouldn't be wasting the money on their things if they didn't have to go. He would have to ask when they got back.

"Seems like you have a fan club." Krypton said as they came into the kitchen since Kai was cleaning up.

"Why didn't you show up to your session?" Kai asked, looking at Krypton from the sink.

"I didn't want to tell Rei that he has to come because Mr. Dickenson won't allow him to miss it." Krypton said with a sigh.

"Is that what you guys talked about this morning?"

"He didn't want us to go with you guys, originally." Jade said, having taken a seat already, "but, we got him to change his mind about that, but we couldn't move him with Rei. We even told him of Rei's episodes, and yet, he still wants him to go. I seriously don't get that man."

"Then we have to hope that Jinochi can hide Rei long enough so he can stay."

"Shouldn't he know the time?" Krypton asked. "We were told that Kenny got the information last night."

"I told Max not to tell him, and I didn't tell him."

"And why are we relying on Jinochi?" Jade asked.

"He was going to have Rei come over to his house tonight to meet his friends and to hang out. Rei is going to stay over night, so I'm hoping that Jinochi will be able to keep Rei with him long enough so that he doesn't make it at the schedule time."

"We'll bring his things anyway." Krypton said, "In case he doesn't. Also, it wouldn't hurt to bring extra stuff anyway."

"We even packed everything for everyone!" Jade said with a smile. "By the way, do you know where Max was? He wasn't home when we dropped off his things."

"Rei would probably know, if he told him."

"Bye!" Rei and Jinochi said to their boss after they were done cleaning. "My friends should be waiting at the entrance to this place." Jinochi informed.

Rei nodded with a smile. "Are they going to come over too?"

"Only for a while. They're also pretty wild, so you might not like them at first too much."

"You think I don't like wild people?"

"Not that, but it took me a while before I got used to them." Jinochi said honestly, "But, they are good friends."

Rei nodded. As they were near the entrance, Rei noticed five figures hanging around. Some of them were in a stance that said they were a punk, which put Rei in, at least, alert mode.

"Hey guys." Jinochi said, getting their attention.

"So, this little guy is Rei?" The one that was wearing navy blue baggy pants and a grey hoodie said. He was also in the center of the semicircle that was formed by them. The one to his right was wearing a red jacket, pants with too many belt like things, and a baseball cap that had some kind of image on it. The one next on the farther right was wearing a trench coat. The guy on the left side to the center was wearing normal clothing, with a pair of sunglasses on his spiked-hair head. The one of the farther left was also wearing a hoodie, but his was black and he was wearing normal pants. Though Rei noticed how different they were from Jinochi. They all looked like they would be punks, and Jinochi doesn't. "Yo, my name is Zuki."

"I'm Noa." The red jacket guy said.

"Akira." The trench coat one said.

"Tenmaru." The other hoodie one said.

"And finally, I'm Miki." The spiked-hair one said.

"It's nice to meet you." Rei said with a smile.

"Don't worry about formalities." Zuki said, "We're all friends here. You don't know how long it took us to break Jino of that habit." He then laughed before they all were walking.

Rei was liking how open they were with him. He could also see that they all have a history together. He couldn't tell if most of them were weak at some time before joining up together or if there was some other reason they all became friends. Jinochi said that he had a hard time getting used to them, implying a force friendship. Now, Rei was getting himself excited about knowing it.

"Hey, Rei, why not cook something for us?" Tenmaru asked as they got to his house. "We heard that your cooking is better than Jinochi's."

"Really?" Rei looked at Jinochi, "I always thought yours was good."

"Yeah, but yours is a lot better than mine any day." He smiled. "And you don't have to cook for them if you don't want to."

"I don't mind, Jinochi-nii." Rei smiled.

"Wow," Akira said, "if you were a little kid, you would've stolen the hearts of any woman walking by." He then laughed, "It's no wonder you were so fond of him." He looked at Jinochi.

Rei smiled a bit, "What do you guys want me to make?"

"Something small… How about a Chinese dish?" Tenmaru said.

"Alright." Rei smiled.

"Let me show you what we have then." Jinochi walked Rei over to the kitchen, "So, what do you think of them?"

"I like them. I really want to know how you all became friends."

"Alright, we'll tell you as we're eating. Do you want me to help you?"

"Yeah, since I don't know where everything is."

Jinochi nodded, "So, what do you need?"

Rei started to list of things as Jinochi got them. They would have to substitute some stuff, so it was going to be a mix of Chinese and Japanese.

"Where did you learn how to cook?" Rei asked as they were starting to make it.

"I learned in school. I wasn't really good at anything else so I thought I should try out for a cooking class. And you?"

"I learned mainly on my own…" Rei smiled, "Though, I had someone help me when I was little."

Jinochi nodded, "Is that why you like cooking other cultures?"

Rei nodded, "Yeah, since it's a way of bringing another world into your life… At least, that what the person once told me."

"So the person wasn't from your village?"

Rei shook his head, "The person only stayed for a short while… but, I learned a lot from that person."

Jinochi smiled, "That's awesome. Oh, I better go see what they want to drink." Jinochi left the kitchen.

Rei watched him for a moment before looking at the pan in front of him. He looked at his hands for a moment. He then noticed that the scars on his arms are completely gone, as if what happened before was just an illusion.

"Rei!" Jinochi yelled, grabbing his hands away from the pan. Rei didn't even realize that he had placed his hands on it as Jinochi turned on the water and placed Rei's hands underneath it. It wasn't even stinging him. Rei looked over at the stove, seeing that he had the heat on higher than it was before. "Rei.." Rei looked at Jinochi, seeing the worry on his face, "Are you okay?"

Rei looked at his hands, "It doesn't hurt."

Jinochi looked over at his hands, seeing that it was a first degree burn. He turned off the water. "I'll get some ice for it anyway." Jinochi went over to his freezer and got some out. He placed it in a bag and handed it to him, "Here you go."

Rei took it, able to feel the cold seeping into his hands. "I wonder if Russia will be this cold…"

Jinochi placed his hand on Rei's head. Rei looked up at him, "Russia will probably be a lot colder. So, you'll have to prepare lots of hot foods for everyone." He smiled.

Rei nodded, "That's true."

"So, can you promise me that you'll be more careful?" Jinochi took Rei's hands in his as he smiled at him, "And whenever you feel like you want to run, I'll be right here to greet you. You're always welcome here."

Rei blinked for a moment before nodding, "Thanks, Jinochi-nii."

"How are your hands? I would offer to finish your meal, but then it wouldn't be your cooking." He chuckled a bit.

Rei looked at his left one, holding the ice bag in his right. "I think it's okay… Can I get it bandaged up after I finish cooking? The bandages might mess me up." He looked at Jinochi-nii.

Jinochi nodded, "I'll wrap them up when you're done. If you need my help with anything, let me know, okay?"

Rei smiled as he nodded, "I will." Rei went back to cooking after a while. Jinochi was watching him from the table, seeing that he was having fun cooking, at least. When he was done, Jinochi got the bandages and placed an oil on them before wrapping them up. "I didn't know you knew to do that." Rei commented.

"What made you think I didn't know?" Jinochi laughed a bit, "I've been burned many times to know that this is a good way of making it heal nicely."

"Yeah, the person who taught me to cook told me about this too." Rei said with a smile.

"Then we must be alike. So, how long would that person say you should keep this up?"

"The person would say that I should keep it up for about…. Ah, if that person was around, I wouldn't have gotten burnt so badly… I wouldn't have to go to Russia…" Rei said as he started to drift off.

Jinochi pulled Rei closer to him, "Rei, if you don't want to go, I'll keep you here, okay? You don't have to go anywhere you don't want to. I'll protect you."

Rei relaxed a bit before closing his eyes, "Thanks, Jinochi-nii."

He nodded, staying like this before Rei moved. Rei picked up the plate with the food and they headed out together.

"Ow, what happened to your hands?" Noa asked.

"It's nothing serious." Rei said, giving out the food. "Let me know what you think." He smiled.

"Here are your drinks." Jinochi said, handing them out. "Oh, and we need to tell Rei of how we all met."

They all looked at Jinochi before sighing, "Wow, where to begin?" Noa said, with his eyes closed.

"What age did you all meet at? Was it all at once?" Rei asked.

"Noa and I have been friends since we were kids." Zuki said. "We then met up with Miki in middle school."

"Tenmaru and I have been friends since we were in middle school, and we met up with them before entering high school." Akira said.

"A year ago, we heard about his famous cooking skills through rumors and such. Though, we only had a chance to talk to him during our cram sessions since he was in the same class." Miki said.

"Cram sessions?" Rei blinked.

"It's an extra class that most high schoolers take to prepare themselves for their entrance exams into college."

Rei nodded.

"Now, Jino wasn't alone by any means." Zuki said, "He did have other friends that he talked to in the cram session and at school. So it wasn't like we became his first friends or anything, nor did we become friends because of his cooking."

"We all had to work together on a project for the cram school and we were all being really lazy about doing it," Noa said, "But, Jinochi got us working on it and during the project, we found out that we all have a lot in common, so we invited Jinochi to join us and that's how we all became friends."

"Is that why you said that they're a bit hard to deal with?" Rei looked at Jinochi.

"Yep." He said with a laugh.

Then they went on talking about other things. They stayed until one, losing track of time. "I really like them." Rei said as they were cleaning up.

"I'm glad." Jinochi smiled, "How are your hands?"

"They still don't hurt… Oh, where are your parents?"

"I moved out here to go to school. I'm originally from Tokyo."

"Really? So that's how you know of that house?"

"Yeah, nearly everyone in Tokyo knows about that house. It's famous because it's able to claim a part of the ocean and the forest as its property."

"Does he make that much?"

"It came as part of the deal when the house was being built. According to records, everything is paid for and correctly documented, so the city can't do anything about it."

"Wow… So Sage has all of that…"

"Yeah… Though, I think it suits him, you know?"

"Yeah."

"Oh, I have a pan that I want to give you."

"Huh? Why?"

"That way I can also be with you while you're in Russia, if you go." Jinochi was hoping that he won't have to. It would make things a whole lot easier for Rei.

Rei smiled, "Oh, okay. Where should we go tomorrow, then?"

"We'll head to work, since that's the easiest place for them to pick you up, whenever it is."

Rei nodded, smiling. After they finished cleaning, they went to bed. Rei was looking up at the ceiling for a while before looking at his wrapped hands. An arm was placed around Rei, pulling him towards Jinochi. "Jinochi…"

"It's okay, Rei." He said with his eyes closed, "I'll protect you."

It took a moment before Rei relaxed, placing his arms around Jinochi and moving closer to his body. A few tears escaped Rei as he fell asleep.

"There!" Max said as he was able to finish up the last symbol. He never realized that transmutation circles could take a lot. He figured that since he was the only one that had to use something else that also required his energy in order to move it was the cause. He recalled Draciel and took out a kitchen knife. He thought that if anyone saw this, it would be mocking Rei. He thought, at first, to give himself a cut on the arm, but that would be too much. He didn't think that a lot of blood was needed. He knew that blood was needed for this to work, but he didn't think a lot of it was needed. After all, Ed and his brother only gave themselves a prick and it opened for them.

Max cut his index finger. A cooking accident was all that needed to be said for that. He allowed it to drip onto the circle. He would've used Draciel to transfer his energy to the circle like he normally does, but he wanted to do this himself, as his farewell to Ed and to gain the knowledge that was there. He wondered if he could also direct it to get certain information. He touched his chest, knowing what he would be giving up for those.

"Max." He turned around to see Ed there. He put away the knife. "What is it that you wanted to see me way out here and so late at night?"

Max smiled at him as he turned his back towards his circle, "I thought this would be a good time to send you back home."

"Huh? What are you talking about?" Ed started to walk closer.

"I figured out how to open the gate."

"What?" Ed looked horrified, "I told you to…"

"I know, but you need to go home… You miss your brother, so it's only right."

"Max…"

"So, this is our goodbye." Max stepped onto the circle, immediately activating it and was transported to a place that was a bit blinding and a tall, double door gate was in front of him, just as Ed described. He wondered why Ed wasn't here, but that didn't stop him from standing in front of these doors as they opened. "I'll give up my ribs so I can know all about that other world beyond you and to send Edward Elric, a person from that world, back to that world." He announced before the black creatures surrounded him.

He opened his eyes wide, seeing everything about his own world, things that he learned about, and then things about Ed's world. He tried to focus on automail, seeing how simple it really was. No wonder Winry could master it in so short amount of time. If he could spend a few months alone to figure it out, he would also be able to create them.

He was seeing the images of that ruin place that Ed told him about. It was similar to his Atlantis, but alchemy was the cause of its destruction. He memorized the images on the stone tablet, knowing that they were the ultimate understanding of Alchemy in all its forms.

"Max!" He heard a voice calling to him, though he was becoming lost in the images coming before him. A powerful jolt came through him, making him cough as he hit a solid ground. "Max!" He noticed the voice was Ed. Max looked up, seeing that he was still home. He then passed out.

When he awoke again, he felt this sharp pain in his chest. It felt like it was a in a line, stopping somewhere in his back. He rolled over, coughing up blood onto his bed. Was this how it was supposed to be? He didn't think that blood would come out. He thought it would be more of internal bleeding, if any were to come out. He touched his chest, feeling that every other rib was taken. He wondered if it was noticeable.

"Max," He heard Ed said, placing a wet towel on his head, "Listen, I'm grateful that you were thinking about me, but I'm not ready to go back anywhere."

Max looked at him, "Why? You have people waiting for you there, right?" He was still weak from it, as he expected.

Ed nodded, "But, right now, I'm home too. You and your dad have given another place I can call home."

"But…"

"I know… but, when I was coming over to this side, I was told that I needed to find the people that I can call home… And I found you guys. So, until that lady finds me, I won't be leaving you guys." He gathered Max into his arms, "I'll leave when you're not alone anymore."

Max widened his eyes. He never revealed that to Ed; that he feels alone. Tears started to come out as he leaned his head into Ed's chest.

"Only ribs?" Ed asked.

"Yeah… I was glad that they listened… I can also make your automail too… It was amazing.. I was able to direct what I wanted to know, as well as gather all that information. It was truly amazing."

"How did you get it to open?"

"That's really easy.."

"Max, Ed." His father called.

Ed laid down Max, "I'll go talk to him."

Max nodded as he closed his eyes and smiled. Ed helped Max get dress, carrying him on his back as Max pretended to be asleep. He didn't have a lot of energy left. "How will you come along?"

"Your dad had left his car at the site. I was learning how to drive it while you were at school, so I'll be following in that. He also gave me a cell phone so I can call him with how to pick it up."

"What if you lose sight of it?"

"You can always create something on the top so that way I won't." Ed said with a smile.

Max nodded, "Okay… I'll also create a hole for you in the bottom so that way you can get inside too, though, I'll probably have to use the bathroom."

"Try to get somewhere else, if you can."

"I'll try."

"Oh, see if you can actually do what I could do."

"You mean transmute without a circle? Wouldn't Draciel feel lonely, then?"

"I don't think so. You can use yourself as a distraction, right? See, back where I'm from, we only had ourselves to fight. The only surprises we could come up with is how clever we can use what was around us. But, you already have mastered that, so now you can have Draciel as your surprise."

Max smiled, "That sounds like a great plan."

"Here you are." Ed said as he sat Max done with his stuff. "Will someone help you if you're still weak?"

"I'm sure someone will." Max smiled. "Well, let see what knowing everything does for me." He clapped his hands together, feeling the energy flowing through them as he touched the ground in front of him. In a crater, there was a piece of metal that looked to be part of an arm.

Ed picked it up as Max was breathing heavily. "How did you know about this?" Ed looked at Max.

"I… looked and saw what they generally looked like. Good, huh?"

"Yeah, but it took too much out of you so don't go make more."

Max nodded, "Why don't you gather the materials it would need to create an automail arm. I can at least make that for you, if you don't want a leg to go with it." He smiled.

Ed smiled, "Fine, since it sounds like you might need the help while in Russia."

Max nodded before Ed walked off. Max laid back, smiling to himself.

After a while, he felt this foot in his side. Max looked up to see that Krypton was standing over him. "The car is here."

Max nodded as he tried to lift himself up. He was shocked to find that he couldn't. He didn't know that the gate would take this much out of him. Could this be part of the exchange as well? Maybe his ribs weren't enough after all.

"Come on, it's not that early." Jade said from the car. "We've even got your stuff in the car."

"If I could move, I would."

Everyone looked at each other before Tyson went over to him, "What did you do? Train all night?"

"Not really… I did train, though." He said with a laugh. Kai then picked him up, "Hey…"

"You're not going to get into the car by laying down." He said as he brought him over, being careful as he got into the limo. Everyone else got in it too.

"Is Rei coming too?" Max asked as they were pulling away.

"If Jinochi doesn't stop him." Kai said.

"But," Jade said, "Mr. Dickenson told us that he has to come, so I'm sure that he's over there to pick him up."

"Why does he have to come?" Kenny asked.

"He never told us the reason." Krypton said, "And we did ask, even bringing up his episodes, and he didn't tell us and still wants him to come. Seriously, that guy is more of a hardass than we are."

"So, Max, what were you doing that got you so drained?" Tyson asked.

"Oh.. I was doing exercises that wore me out more than I thought they would. I'm happy to say, though, that I'm prepared for anything that we might face in Russia."

"That's good to hear." Krypton said, "See Jade, my group works harder than yours does."

"It's probably because he wasn't expecting Rei to show up."

"Do you think that Rei will show up?" Max asked Kai as they went at it again.

"I'm really hoping that Jinochi finds a way to keep him from going. If he doesn't show up, I'll be staying here as well."

"Was he not well yesterday?" Tyson asked.

"It was kinda hard to tell, really. I noticed that he was over doing his smiling a bit, but there wasn't anything to tell me one way or another. Though, Rei probably knew that I would be looking, so he was probably hiding it better than normal."

"Why are we depending on Jinochi to do something?" Max asked, not liking that another guy was moving in on Rei.

"He was taking Rei home with him to meet his friends and stuff like that. Rei was really excited about it."

"What was he excited about? It couldn't have been that special." Max now didn't like Jinochi all that much. He didn't mind when he learned that Rei had been calling him older brother, but what if Jinochi was just acting like that to take advantage of Rei?

"Rei just doesn't call anyone his family, you know?" Kai said a bit angrily. "Besides that, Rei is always happy when Jinochi is around and Rei likes knowing about people."

"He never asked us about our history." Max pointed out.

"He already knew yours and mine." Kai said, "Did you two ever tell him yours?"

"Yeah, he asked us once and we told him. Do you think he accepts us as family?"

Kai sighed, closing his eyes as he thought about it, "Right now, it's hard to tell… I think he wants to, but doesn't at the same time."

"Why would he be?" Kenny asked.

"Maybe he's afraid to let us that close to him, but I really wouldn't know. That would have to go to him more than me, since I'm only guessing."

"Where's Rei?" Enrique asked as they pulled up.

"We're nearly positive he's coming." Jade said, "He was staying at his brother's place last night, and I don't think he got the message in time."

"Are you sure that you didn't plan it that way?" Oliver asked.

"If we were planning on making him stay," Krypton answered, "then Kai wouldn't be here. We wanted them both to stay behind, and having Kai here is saying that we are expecting Rei to show up here as well."

"But how will he get here if he wasn't with you guys?" Johnny asked.

"It's up to Mr. Dickenson to make that miracle happen." Jade said with a smile.

Max made a small hole in the baggage place, helping out with placing the luggage in there. He was glad that Ed was so short, but he knew that he would hear about that later. It didn't take Ed long to come into the plane.

"You're able to move?" Ed asked as Max closed it.

"I'm kinda forcing myself. Were you really weak when you saw the gate?"

"I kinda had my limbs taken off and was losing a lot of blood, and the same with my Master, so I don't know how it works when you don't give something as serious as organs and limbs."

Max nodded, "I'll get my rest now, since it's going to be a long flight. How are you going to handle everything?"

"I'm going to go to sleep too. I also have small snacks to keep me company and I've already prepared myself with winter clothing."

Max laughed a bit, "Okay. When we get a hotel, I'll give you my key so you can enter it as we're out. I don't want you to be out in the cold."

"We'll play that one by ear. Anyway, hurry up and get back otherwise they'll know something is up."

"Right. Oh, also, I'll come by every once in a while since I can enter here as if I'm going to the bathroom."

Ed nodded and Max headed back up, not really wanted to leave Ed in a place like this for so long.

"Why are you on the steps?" Johnny asked as everyone else was in the plane.

"I'm waiting for Rei." Kai answered in an uncaring tone.

"Well, if he's not here at the schedule departure time, then he'll just have to find his own way." He said as he went back inside.

Kai was glad to hear that. If Jinochi could keep Rei for that long, then everything will be alright.

Rei and Jinochi were having a lot of fun making breakfast for themselves. Rei also enjoyed the fact that he could sleep in a bit

"Wow, I didn't know that you had a wok. That's so cool!" Rei said. He was bringing it out before they had to head out.

"Yeah, it was something that I got from my family before moving out here."

"Why are you bringing it out now, then?"

"Isn't this the perfect thing to have when camping over a fire?" Jinochi asked with a smile.

Rei blinked before gasping, "I couldn't take that. What if something happens to it?"

"Then you have to make sure that nothing does. And if something does happen to it, it better be for a good reason." He smiled.

Rei slowly took it in his hands, smiling at Jinochi, "Thank you."

"No problem. Now, we better head over to the restaurant."

Rei nodded and they headed out. They were talking about anything, following the flow of the conversation to wherever it led as they walking towards their work. As they approach the restaurant, they both noticed a limo parked near it, something unusual for this part of time. Jinochi got in front of Rei as the door opened, revealing Mr. Dickenson.

Kai looked up at the sky, seeing that the sun was still low in the sky. He then heard a car pulling up, so he looked to see a black limo coming. He stood up from where he was sitting, unsure if he should head over to it or not. Then the door opened and Rei popped out with a smile on his face.

"Sorry I'm so late." He said as he headed over to Kai with his things on his back.

Kai looked at the limo to see that it was now pulling away, "You could've said no, you know."

Rei sighed, "Why would I do that?" He headed inside and Kai followed.

"You're sitting next to me." Kai said as Rei was placing his bag with everyone else.

"Huh? I thought…"

"Krypton is here, and they have homework to get done."

"It's not like I need…"

"You think I don't notice your hands."

Rei stared at him for a moment, "It was…"

"I don't care what excuse you want to give to everyone else, but don't you dare lie about it to me."

Rei held his hands close to his chest, "Fine."

"Come on, we need to take our seats so we can take off." Kai said with a sigh, realizing that he might've done something worst than letting it slip by.

Rei put his hands in his pocket, confirming that Kai was right, "Right." He said as he headed over to where the others were. "I want to take a nap… so can you sit near the window?" Rei asked, almost sounding meek.

"Sure." Kai said, kinda glad that Rei is showing that he is fearful to go back. When they got to their seating, Kai took the window seat and Rei took the one next to him. There were three seats to each row, which were two, so there was a seat that separated them from everyone else. The fasten seat belt sign came on and you could kinda hear the engine starting. "Letting you know, Rei," Kai said as they were moving for their take-off, "I'm worried too. So worry that I kinda don't want to go back there myself." He didn't really want to reveal that to Jade or Krypton, otherwise they would've locked him up in his room, but he was worried about going back. "I know I don't have the same fear as you, but…" He felt something on his shoulder. He looked to see that Rei had placed his head there.

"Pain and fear can't be measured. They're different for everyone and none are lesser than another." He looked at Kai from his shoulder, "But I'm glad that you told me."

Kai nodded and Rei moved back his head and closed his eyes as they took to the skies.

Aw… wasn't that beautiful? It brought a tear to my eyes. sniffs Well, now they're heading over to Russia, the place of their nightmares. What will they do when they get there? What could the BIOVOLT want with everyone? And why does Mr. Dickenson insist that Rei go and what happened when he confronted them as Jinochi and Rei was heading over to work? All this unanswered questions, and so little time. Will they be revealed in the next episode, or will you be left in the dark? I guess you have to wait and find out. sticks out tongue


	18. Chap 17 Blading Forest Hidden Meaning

Hello, I'm glad that you decided to continue reading. I am sorry for my behavior at the end of the last chapter. I don't know what came over me. bows Thank you for continuing this story. So, anyway, Rei and Kai are both nervous about going back to Russia. Ed and Max had their moment, though, it's quite sad that Max can even be jealous of Jinochi. Oh well, he'll get over it.

"So Rei's sleeping?" Tyson asked as soon as they were allowed to take off their seatbelts. Krypton and Jade were in front of Kai and Rei. Tyson and Kenny were on the other side and Max was behind them. The Majestics were in the cabin before this one.

"Yeah, I don't think he really wants to be conscious as we're heading over." Kai said.

"Though, it does seem unusual that he would be sleeping on your shoulder." Kenny said, having Max force himself up to see.

"Yeah, that is unusual." Max said, hiding his hate since Rei looked at peace.

Kai noticed that Rei looked like he was uncomfortable, though Kai wouldn't know why.

"I think we should move him to a more comfortable position." Jade said from over her seat. Krypton was looking too, making Kai wonder why everyone was turning this into some side show. Jade got up and went to move the arm-rest up and to move Rei's legs so that they would be on the other seat as well.

Kai had pulled out his hands from his pockets, making sure that no one was noticing that they were bandaged, and Kai was clawed on his arms as soon as he allowed them to rest there. Kai was really glad that they weren't Byakko's nails, because he knew those could do some serious damage to his muscles.

"So, how was he when he entered?" Krypton asked.

"He didn't really try too hard to refuse coming. He probably knows why he has to come, even when he doesn't want to." Kai was hiding the pain that he was now getting, figuring Rei is probably scared of something right now.

"Yeah… Okay, everyone away. Let the poor man sleep." Krypton said as he turned back around in his seat.

Jade smiled at Kai before returning to her seat.

"Let us know if he wakes up." Tyson said as he and Kenny headed back to their seat. Max headed for the bathroom, though went to the baggage place to see Ed. Kai was glad that Rei let go of his arm, knowing that he would have to cover up the puncture wounds when they landed.

"Are you okay?" Max asked, seeing that everything had moved.

"Yeah, though, it was quite the workout." Ed laughed a bit. "Anyway, how's Rei?"

"He's sleeping on Kai's shoulder." Max sat down next to him. "Did you overhear anything?"

"Other than that there's something up with his hands that Kai didn't want him to lie about. Anyway, I say that you should get some rest. You won't be any good for Russia if you don't. I'll come up to check on you when everyone is asleep."

Max smiled as he nodded, "Be careful, okay?"

"It's only luggage." He laughed.

"Hard luggage." Max went over to the stairs, "Well, I guess it's a good thing that you're so small." He smiled before heading up, knowing that Ed would be fuming about it.

"Rei," Rei heard someone calling him. He looked up to, seeing a bit of a haze face. He thought he recognized it, someone he knew from a long time ago. "Rei," her voice called again as Rei tried to reach out to her. "Rei." Then the dream broke. Kai was there instead and he looked a bit confused. "We've landed." Rei looked away from Kai, pulling back his hand and wanting nothing more than to curl up into a ball. "Were you having a dream?"

"Was I talking in my sleep?" Rei looked at him, almost in a fearful tone.

Kai shook his head.

Rei looked ahead, "Yeah… I guess I was…" He got up, not caring that he was in a different position than before.

Kai got up as well, hiding his arm as they went to get their stuff from the luggage place.

"We'll have our men take your things to your hotel." Robert said, "We need to head over to the meaning spot."

"Lead on!" Tyson said as they headed out.

Rei looked around as they entered the city, keeping his game in his mind. He noticed that it was really small.

"This is kinda romantic." Jade commented.

"Though, it's weird that this would be the starting point." Krypton said. "You can see the wilderness on the border."

"And not only that," Robert got everyone's attention, "but I think it's those very woods where we have to battle."

"All the teams have to meet at the public square to hear what's going on for this tournament." Oliver said.

"So we have to be outside?" Kenny asked, "But it's well below freezing."

"How will they keep tabs on who comes?" Jade asked.

"We're not really sure, so we'll find out when we get there." Enrique said.

They pulled up to an area where a lot of people were gathered. Everyone got out of the car and looked at crowd. There weren't any guards around to regulate who would be in there or not.

"Let's go in the middle." Kai said, pulling Rei along. Rei didn't argue, knowing that either one wanted to be out on the edge. Everyone else followed, with Max the only one fuming silently.

"This is good." Rei said, making Kai stop. "I think we need to keep an eye on that blimp." Rei pointed to it.

"Why think that?" Tyson asked.

"I'm sure there's a reason why it's circling like that." Rei looked at him, "And it looks like it has a monitor on it."

Everyone looked up at it just as it turned on, revealing Boris in his normal outfit. Kai noticed how much of a recoil Rei had with just his image, still holding onto his arm. Rei only moved back, holding his face firm against his fear.

"Bladers," he started, "thank you all for coming here today. We apologize for the suddenness of this tournament, but I assure you that it will be one that you will not easily forget."

As he went on about the tournament, Rei decided to look around at the people that were there. He spotted some other people that they had battle before, and people that he had never seen before. He turned around, freezing as he looked at an old man. He was, at first, listening to what Boris was saying, but soon looked at Rei. As he smiled, Rei had this sudden urge to run, and would have, if he didn't feel suddenly trapped. The man started to walk forwards.

"Rei," Rei snapped, looking at Kai with his eyes widen. Kai looked at where Rei was looking at, not seeing anyone he recognized. "We'll leave if the person is still there." Kai said, looking at Rei.

Rei quickly turned to look, searching wildly to find him, "I don't see him…" He said in a whisper.

"Good luck to all!" Boris said and there was some cheering going on in the crowd. Once the monitor was turned off, the people started to walk away. Rei noticed Tala, Wu's friend, in the crowd.

"We should get…" Jade started before being interrupted.

"Rei!" They heard.

Rei turned to see Wu coming over to them. Kai let his arm go before he went over to her. "Wu!" He said with a smile, hugging her when they met. He hugged her tightly for a moment, as she comforted him. "What are you doing here?" He asked as he lifted up his head.

"Tala heard about this and we all came." She smiled.

"Who's this?" Tyson asked as they all came up.

"Oh, yeah…" Rei said, looking at his teammates.

"She's someone who shouldn't be here." Everyone looked to their side to see the White Tigers and the All-Starz there. The White Tigers team was glaring for some reason. "You have no reason to be here." Lee said in a firm voice.

"We came here for Rei." Yoma said firmly, glaring back at them, "So, if you got a problem with that, you better be ready to take it up with all of us."

"Woo." They heard a familiar voice say. They looked at the other side to see the Yami Hunters. "Cut down the tension, please." Neith said. "I know it's cold, but we don't want to melt the ice."

"And who are you?" Robert asked.

"We're your worst nightmare," she said with a smile, "right, Kai-kun?"

"And who gave you permission to address him like that?" Jade asked.

Rei started to laugh, "When does the tournament start?"

"Tomorrow morning." Lee said.

"Then how about we all go eat somewhere. Introductions can be made then."

"I doubt there'll be a place big enough." Oliver said.

"That's because you guys don't have a lot of foresight." Cassander sighed, making Rei laugh more, "Kaiba-sama has prepared a special hall for all of us to feast together and be merry. So, please, keep all anger down to a minimum." He smiled.

"We'll lead the way." Vasuki said, bowing a bit before they started to walk.

"Come on," Rei said, to the teams that didn't know them, "They're harmless off the dish, I promise."

"Rei, Kai." Wu said as Rei was 'guiding' her. "The last two you haven't met are Oliver and Eric."

"Please to meet you." A guy with orange hair and a French style of clothing said with a smile.

"Yoh." The blond said with a smile.

"Isn't your company partly funding our Beyblade research?" Emily asked.

Eric looked at her, "It well could be. I don't keep track of what we do with it. Though, I can see that I'm not the only rich kid in the hood."

"And the rest of us will introduce ourselves once we get inside and start eating." Bastetka said with a smile.

As they were walking, Kai was really glad that Rei looked a lot more at rest with Wu near him. Though, he couldn't understand why the White Tigers were angry at her.

"Kai." Jade whispered, "Do you know that guy? The one that said they came for Rei."

"Yeah, I know him. Why?"

"Don't you think you two look similar?"

"Yeah, that's what we think too." Yoma said beside Kai, making Jade jump a bit, "Have you figured anything out yet?" He looked at Kai.

He shook his head, "Nothing yet. Anything on your end?"

"Nope. Though, my dad wants to run a DNA test to have positive proof."

"I rather not."

"I figured as much. I'm glad that Rei seems better." He looked over at them.

"At least with Wu around, he can relax more. He's not really all that better. Just hiding most of it."

"Really? I guess I shouldn't doubt their bond. Wu was telling us that Rei was hiding his true emotions and that she needed to be there to help ease some of his fears away."

"Why her?" Max asked.

"That's Rei's sister." Kai said.

"Really? They don't look anything alike." Tyson said.

"They're not related by blood." Yoma said.

"Oh… How do you know Rei, anyway? And Kai?"

"I'm the one that's been training Rei to be a ninja. I met Kai by default."

"Oh, so I'm the lesser important one?" Kai asked.

"I don't have to worry about your training." Yoma smiled. "I believe that's the miss's job."

"When did your group get here, anyway?" Krypton asked.

"A few days ago. We were all in France when Tala got word of their movement and we all came here before any team came."

"Did you notice anything weird?"

"We are looking out for Rei." Yoma smiled in a way that Kai would.

"Woo, that's creepy." Tyson said.

"Make the same face." Jade said, being fascinated.

Kai sighed, looking at Yoma, "What kind of face to you want to make to creep them out more?"

Yoma closed his eyes and crossed his arms to think. "How about something evil?"

Kai thought about it, "Evil grin?"

"Yeah, that should work."

They both took in a deep breath before striking the expression. It crept out the rest of Kai's team how they were so similar. A flash was made, bring attention to Vayu, "Got it!" He said with a smile.

"It's really amazing how friendly you two are." Bastetka said behind them, placing an arm around each, "It's like you are family."

"Neith," Rei said, though it didn't seem like he was paying attention to what was going on, "Is there anything special that will mark off the place we're going to be eating?"

"We placed a barrier around it. Why?"

"Wu and I will meet you guys there." He said with a smile, having Wu jump on his back before Rei started to run off with Wu cheering.

"Rei!" Mariah said, about to go after them.

"Let them have their fun." Bastetka said, "They don't get to see each other very often."

"The same goes for us too!" Kevin said.

"You are the ones that stayed in the village, right?" Homer asked. "From what Wu has told us, only recently has she been able to see him. Besides that, you all enjoy the same game, which she can't participate in, so you all have more opportunities to see him than she does."

"And with sound reasoning, Homer wins." Bastetka said with a laugh.

"By the way," Tyson looked at the Yami Hunters, "Is everything okay?"

"We'll manage." Ereshki said, not looking at him, "Though, I will say that your own group has changed, but your trainers haven't."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Jade asked.

"From the last time we have met, you and your brother have not changed." She looked at Tyson, "But, we hold no grudge."

"Yeah," Vasuki said, "We even forgive you for stealing the Blue Eyes."

Tyson pouted. "Well, as long as you guys are okay."

"We never said that, did we?" Tezcatli said with smile, "We just said we'll manage."

"What's all this about?" Michael asked.

"Why we're so feared." Cassander said.

Tyson and Max looked away for a moment, making Jade angry, "Well, at least you're not the best."

"I think your team begs to differ, princess." Ereshki said in a monotone voice.

"But, fighting right now does no one any good, and Kaiba-sama wants us to make sure that everyone gets enough rest for what awaits us in the forest." Neith said, "Especially, your team, Kai-kun." She said with a wink.

"Why the suffix?" Kai asked before Jade could comment again. He didn't realize that it was actually a big deal.

"I only learned two suffixes: san and sama. Kaiba-sama taught me a few more, so, I'm using them."

"Don't use such a friendly one, then." Jade said.

Neith thought about it for a moment, "Nope!" She said with a heart-felt smile.

"You know," Kai said as he was holding Jade back, "Reacting this way is only encouraging her."

"I don't care. I'll make her stop one way or another… Tyson!" She looked over at him.

"What?" Tyson looked at her, "It's not like I'm offended."

She glared at him before he sighed. "I would suggest against it." Ereshki said.

"Why?" Jade asked.

"Because we're here." She pointed to the building in front of them, "So no more fighting until you leave, please?" They all walked in and the other teams followed.

"What took you guys so long?" Rei asked, having Wu on his shoulders.

"We weren't in a race." Bastetka said with a smile. "So, now that we're all here, let's eat!"

Rei kept Wu on his shoulders throughout the gathering, making the White Tigers angry and her friends happy. The Yami Hunters joined in on that group and everyone else was in another. Kai actually wanted to go over there with Rei, but had to stay to keep Jade at bay since Krypton wasn't.

"Kai, right?" Kai turned around to see Eric there, "How long have you known Rei?"

"Why?"

"I was just wondering why Wu is acting differently, that's all."

"Even though they're not related by blood, they consider themselves siblings." Kai said, looking over at them. Rei was really different as well. It was almost like he was worry free as the minutes pass, "And I know Rei well enough to know that he just doesn't call anyone his family."

"I wouldn't be too sure on that." Lee said with hate. "He would feel at home anywhere, and would call anyone his family. Then he would just move on to the next place and do the same thing all over again."

"Then, obviously, you don't know Rei as well as you think you do." Kai said.

"What? How dare you say I don't know my own kin?" Lee glared, though he wasn't yelling.

Kai sighed, "So yeah, they're close." He said to Eric. "Rei is even acting differently than he normally does, which is good for him right now. How long have you known Wu for?"

"Not too long, but we all had one interesting adventure together. I think that's why we're so tight, you know? I was someone that they would all normally hate, or at least most of the guys would've, but I changed because of them. We don't know each other like the back of our hands, but we're slowly getting there. I'm making it an effort to keep in touch with everyone."

"That's good to hear."

"Oh, will you guys be needing anything for your tournament? If so, I can see what I can do to get it here before tomorrow morning."

"We knew it was going to be in the wilderness, so we prepared for it." Jade said coldly.

"And we're fine." Lee glared.

"The only thing we have to worry about is our equipment." Emily said.

"And we're fine on our own." Robert said.

"Actually," Kai said, "we could use some food. Tyson eats the most out of us so we'll need more food." Kai understood that Eric was trying to be helpful since they all knew Rei. "Let's go ask Rei want he wants to cook." Kai said, leaving all them.

"Sorry for the tension I cause." Eric said.

"It's not you." Kai said, "and I don't really know what caused it, either."

"Hey, Kai!" Rei said with a big smile on his face.

"Eric is willing to get us some food for us to carry as we're out there."

"Are we not coming back or something?" He blinked, letting Kai know that he didn't pay attention to what Boris was saying.

"No, we have to stay in the woods until we reach the center. Each team would be entering at different points so that there aren't any battles before the tournament starts. The winner is decided by who gets to the center first, and if there are two teams, then they have to battle to see who wins."

"Are we given any maps?" Rei asked.

"Kinda." Neith said, pulling out one, "They look like this, but only a few teams have them. Kaiba-sama gave us a copy."

"So we'll be handed these as we go to our post?"

"I think there'll be a booth to where you can register your team and they will give you a map or not."

"So we could be out there for an unknown amount of time?"

"They posted that there'll be regulators running around after an hour to make sure that the teams are okay and all. So, if you don't have the endurance or didn't prepare well enough, then you're not in too much trouble."

"Have you guys prepared well enough?" Bastetka asked.

"We have our own mission." Neith smiled, "There's something weird about that forest, and Kaiba-sama seemed like he knew what it was too, but he didn't tell us about it."

"What did he tell you to do?" Wu asked.

"To save those who switch over."

"That's pretty heavy." Rei commented.

"That's our mission." She shrugged, "We're not really sure what that means, but we figure we'll know when we get inside."

"So, Rei," Rei looked over at Kai, "What should Eric get for us? Just think about Tyson."

Rei laughed, "Alright. You sure that Jade and Krypton don't mind?"

"You let me handle them."

"Seems like you got some backbone to you." Ereshki said with a smile. "By the way, has anything come after you?"

He shook his head, "Did you find out what those creatures were?"

"Kaiba-sama seemed to have a vague notion as to what they were, but since we didn't have a picture, he couldn't be certain. He also expressed that we should keep an eye on your team for a while, but I don't think your trainers would be too happy on that."

Kai knew that was true. "Hopefully, we'll manage."

"Is Jade that scary for you?" Neith said with a laugh.

"I don't want to have to deal with the aftermath. I have to deal with her brother too."

"Eric," Rei said, "do you have something so I can write down what I need?"

"Yeah." He brought out a pad of paper and a pen.

"Now, don't write in Chinese." Wu said.

"What?" Rei looked up at her.

"Eric doesn't know Chinese."

"You could always go with him to translate."

"Nope! You just going to have to learn. And Eric, don't you help him either by giving him another outlet." She looked at him.

"Okay." He said with a laugh and smile.

Rei thought about it for a moment before he started to write down something. "Can you read this?" He showed him the word. Kai noticed it was poorly written English letters, as if he had never needed to write before. Almost like a child's handwriting.

"You know Latin?" Eric asked with surprise.

"Great!" Rei said before he started to write more.

"No fair! You're cheating." Wu said, as if a child herself.

"I'm just superior to you, Wu. What can I say?" He then handed the list to Eric. Kai noticed that as he wrote more, the handwriting got better. "By the way," Rei looked at the Yami Hunters, "what was the first sentence you learned to say in Japanese? I didn't really learn a sentence, so I can't reconstruct it."

They all looked at each other before smiling at Rei, "Friendship is meaningless." They said together.

Everyone started laughing after a moment of shock. "I hope you don't believe in that." Wu said.

"Of course not, and Kaiba-sama only once believed in that." Tezcatli said. "But, it was the first sentence we learned and that kind of thing stays with you."

"Most people learn the greeting formalities when learning Japanese." Homer said.

"We didn't need it. Kaiba-sama taught us when it what was proper and improper, but he doesn't really like the formal speech all too much so he never taught it to us." Vasuki said.

"Wow, I'm surprised I can actually read this." Eric said, "I didn't think my Latin was that good."

"You're taking Latin now?" Yoma asked.

"Yeah, since I thought it would be cool. Homer had sent me a book about the Romans so I thought it would be awesome to learn their language too."

"Glad I got you interested in something." Homer said.

"I'll gather these up and send them to your room before you leave in the morning." Eric looked over at Rei.

"Great! Do you know where it is?" Rei asked.

"We do." Vasuki said. "We're not in the same hotel, but we know where the other teams are."

"Problem solved. Is this building being used?"

"We're staying here." Cassander said.

"And we are as well." Tala said.

"Is there enough room to move?" Rei asked.

"Yeah, I'm sure there is. It's not one of those hotels that you need to have a lot of money for. That's pretty much where everyone else is staying at." Neith said. "Kaiba-sama may be rich, but he knows that we don't need anything fancy."

"Though, it was probably because we were here first that they came here as well." Bastetka said. "It is sad, though, that no one else is staying at low costing hotels."

"Our sponsor got us the place we're staying at, so we don't really have much of a say in that." Kai explained, for some reason having the urge to do so. "And we're right now under his leash, so I don't think we should move too far from that." He looked at Rei, "If you want to stay, you can. I just don't think all of us should."

Rei sighed, "Nah, I shouldn't either…"

"If you want to stay, that's okay." Kai said. "Don't worry what everyone else might think of it. After all, you don't get to see Wu all that often, right?"

Rei smiled. "This isn't one of your tactics to make me not show up tomorrow, is it?" The thought just came to Rei.

"It wouldn't be your fault if you stayed up late partying or talking and missed coming."

Rei laughed, "You and Wu must be on the same wavelength."

"Sadly, I think anything short from tying him up to a chair would be too little." Wu said with a sigh.

"I think knocking him out would be more affective. I'm pretty sure escape routes are part of a ninja's training." Kai said.

"And you would be right on that one." Yoma said with a smile.

"Yoh." Tyson said, putting an arm around Kai, "All the other teams have left."

Everyone looked to see that was true. Jade and Krypton looked really angry and Kenny was nervous being near them.

"Where's Max?" Kai asked.

"He stepped out a long time ago. I haven't seen him since. He probably already went back to the hotel."

"That's seems a bit odd for Max." Rei said.

"I noticed a bit too late to stop him from leaving the room."

"He probably didn't like the atmosphere that was generating from that side." Neith said. "Are you guys leaving too?"

"Jade and Krypton want to go over some plans."

"Like what?" Neith said with a hint of laughter. "It's not like this can be something planned. That's the whole point is that it's unpredictable and that is what makes this tournament more exciting."

"You know that we can see into the future," Vasuki said, "and we can't even see what's going to happen here. It's like there's something about that forest that has warped time and space. That's why we're excited to go, because it's something we have never dealt with before."

"They're probably just insecure about having Kai and Rei over here." Tyson said with a laugh. "They're quite possessive."

"Then the spoil princess needs to learn how to share." Ereshki said in a bit of a loud tone.

"Thanks for getting the food for us, Eric." Kai said. "See you tomorrow." He and Tyson started to walk away.

"Aren't you forgetting someone?" Krypton asked firmly.

"I don't know where Max is." Kai said.

"I'm not talking about him."

Kai looked back at their group, seeing Rei giving Wu a brotherly hug before walking over to them. "Sorry, they don't want to let me go." Rei said with a smile.

"Are you sure it isn't the other way around?" Krypton said before him and Jade started to walk away.

Rei waved bye and Kai noticed how truly worried Wu was at this moment. "You shouldn't make her worry like that." Kai said to Rei.

"A warrior always makes the ladies worry… At least in stories." He smiled.

"This isn't a story, though."

"It's okay." Rei looked at ground before looking at him, "I can't let you go at this alone."

Kai sighed, "Thanks."

"Hey," Tyson moved back to where they were. Jade and Krypton were a good distance away from where Kai and Rei were. "What are they really upset about?"

"Probably that they couldn't fire back at the Yami Hunters. But you're right, they are really possessive." Kai sighed, "Though, I would think by now that they wouldn't let them get to them as much."

"I think the Yami Hunters like picking fights." Kenny said, "That's probably why they were provoking Jade a lot."

"Though, it's not like they're not accustomed to that. They provoke people all the time."

"They probably don't like it being backfired, huh?' Tyson asked with a laugh.

"Man, they are spoiled," Kai said with a bit of a laugh.

When they got to their room at the hotel, they found Max sleeping on one of the two beds in there. There was an adjacent room that connected to this one, and it also had two beds. Krypton and Jade claimed the other room, though Kai was being cautious about doing the same. Rei was going to be in the same bed as Max and Tyson and Kenny were going to share.

"Rei." Krypton said as Jade was getting changed. "If you want to change teams, do so way before the tournament starts. Don't do it right before or during, got it?" He said harshly.

"Krypton," Kai said, "What's that about? Are we not allowed to be friends with the other teams?"

"They are the enemy once you enter the battle field so why bother being friends with them?"

"Incase you've forgotten, we did become friends with those teams. And don't take it out on Rei just because you couldn't come up with a comeback against them. Besides, you have no right telling him to do anything."

Krypton looked really ticked off right then, but Kai was staring at him. "I think I beg to differ."

"You got some hold on Rei that we don't know about? Ever thought that maybe the reason we listen to you guys is because we know that it'll make you smile and not because of some oath we pledge?" Kai was the first one that started it, seeing how it was making Jade smiled a bit inside. It wasn't evil or anything, but it did make her day and depending on what she asked, it also made her laugh. The others started to follow, and Rei was the last one to agree to it.

"What do you boys think?" Jade asked as she stepped out with a much too revealing nightwear.

"Jade!" Krypton and Kai said as the same time, guarding her so that the others wouldn't see. The ones awake started to laugh.

"Stop staring, perv." Krypton said to Kai as he pulled Jade back into the room, "And wake up sleeping beauty over there." He closed the door behind him.

"We didn't see anything, Kai." Rei said with a smile, "Promise."

Kai sighed, "Should we wake up Max?"

"Depends on what Krypton wants to talk to everyone about. He looks really drained." Rei commented, looking at him.

"Then we'll leave him like his is."

"Will you be safe sleeping tonight?" Tyson asked, "I think you standing up to Krypton really did it."

"I really don't know." Kai kinda hoped so, since Krypton still wouldn't let them be in the same bed back at the hideout.

"I thought I said to wake up sleeping beauty." Krypton said as they came out. Kai was sitting on Tyson's bed as they were waiting for them to appear. Jade walked over to Kai, sitting in his lap and placed his arms around her. She had a shirt covering what she wore underneath.

"He looks really tired, so he probably needs his sleep." Rei said.

"And I said to wake him up."

Rei sighed, tapping Max's leg. He stirred enough to pull his leg closer to him, tightening his grip on the sheets. "See."

"He was drained this morning, so let him rest." Kai said.

"He slept on the plane." Krypton pointed out.

"Some people can't rest fully on the plane."

Krypton sat on the bed that Rei was on, "Jade and I both agree that we don't like how this tournament is set up."

"You think we like it any better?" Tyson asked. "Yeah, you kinda trained us for this kind of thing, but who knows what we'll face in there."

"Did the Yami Hunters reveal anything?" Jade asked. "I know they love to talk and all."

"Only a few people will be given maps to the center, regulators will be released in an hour after it starts, they're not interested in winning and they're excited about going since they can't see anything about this tournament." Rei said in a monotone kind of way.

"Why aren't they interested in winning?" Krypton asked.

"They can't prove they're stronger than you guys if they don't fight you." Jade added.

"In truth, they would much rather have our backs than fight us, but they're being sent on a mission and that mission comes before everything else."

"And that would be?"

"To save those who switch over."

"What the hell does that mean?" Krypton asked.

"They don't know themselves, but they figure that they'll understand as soon as the tournament is underway."

"So, we need to have some kind of plan…"

"There are too many holes to have any solid plan." Rei said, "We know we have to fight as soon as we enter the forest, but it's not like a normal fight. It's more like survival training. How can you plan for something like that? And don't say something like "if we come up with all the possibilities", because there are far too many unknowns in there to have any positive predictions come true… Even they can't see what's going to be the outcome of this tournament."

"What do you mean by that?" Krypton asked.

"They all have a way of seeing into the future, one way or another, but none of their methods seems to work. That's why they're excited about it because it's the first time that they're also going in blindfolded."

"Shouldn't they have a plan, then?" Jade asked.

"They don't seem to be too much of the cautious type. They're willing to suffer greatly just because they can. Besides, they're not nervous at all. They're confident in their abilities and in themselves to know that they'll pull through. Being overly cautious about something is the same thing as fearing it."

"But not being cautious is the same thing as being a fool." Krypton said coldly.

"Well, if you want to give out battle strategies, be my guest. It's not like you have any experience to base it off of anyway." Rei got up and went to the bathroom. Soon after, they heard the shower being turned on.

"I see why you didn't want him near the Yami Hunters." Krypton said.

Jade sighed, "He'll be like this throughout the whole thing. It's quite sad."

"I think it's more because he has to be here." Kai said.

"Why think that? He was like this at the last tournament." Jade looked at him.

"That's because Wu's friends were present. Wu, herself, is here now."

"Yeah, we get the whole sibling bond thing, but he shouldn't be acting this differently." Krypton said in an uncaring tone.

"How would you feel if you could only see Jade a few times a year?"

"First off…"

"I know it wouldn't happen, but what if it did? Anyway, he trusts her and is more at home with her than with anyone else, including the White Tigers. They were pretty much acting like kids as the time went on. Now tell me, how often have you seen Rei act anything other than serious warrior?"

"All the times he's around Jinochi." He answered quickly.

"Meaning that he's a home to Rei."

"He also is more lax around you." Tyson pointed out. "I don't think that he would've slept on anyone else's shoulder like that."

"He's not like that around me normally." Kai countered. He figured that Rei did that so Byakko would be happy as they flew over. That reminded him that he needs to clean up his arm.

"Little… man.." Max suddenly said. Everyone looked over at him, seeing that he was still asleep, but he was smiling for some reason. " Shortie… ………… tiny Ed………. Half-pint………… germ………"

"What is he talking about?" Tyson asked as Max continued.

"Have milk………. Ha… ha…" And then he fell back to sleep.

"That was really odd." Krypton said. "He must be out of it."

"Yeah." Jade agreed.

"Why is everyone staring at Max?" Rei asked as he came out of the shower, still drying his hair.

"Max was saying some weird stuff before falling asleep."

"Really? Like what?"

"They all pretty much related to being short." Jade said, "But then the last thing he said was "have milk" and a laugh before going back to sleep."

"Maybe he thinks of himself as being short so he wants to grow?" Rei offered. He looked at the time, "Anyway, shouldn't we be getting some sleep?"

"That's a good point." Krypton got up and walked over to the other room.

"Night!" Jade said as she got up while holding onto Kai's hand, allowing him to know that it was okay for him to enter.

"Night!" Tyson said as they went into the other room, closing it a bit. "Hey, Rei." He looked at him as he was wrapping up his hair in a towel. "Is Wu really important to you? More than blading, that is."

"Why are you asking?" Rei stared at him.

"I remember that Kai said that, as friends, we should let you give up blading for a while, since you gave up a lot for the sport. So, I was just wondering if Wu is someone whom you would choice over blading."

Rei smiled softly and nodded, "It's not because she can't be in the sport, but she's just that important to me."

"That's cool." He got off the bed, "I think that if Jade wasn't a blader herself, Kai would understand it better. Oh, why are the White Tigers so angry at her?"

"They never really liked her while she was living in the village, so it's all that plus everything else."

"Wow… they can sure hold a grudge."

Rei nodded, "It's kinda funny in a way."

Tyson smiled, "Well, we have a long day tomorrow, so we better get some sleep." He said as he started to change. Kenny was already in the bed and falling asleep.

Rei finished up with his hair, knowing that he shouldn't go to bed with wet hair. He placed back his hair tie, doing so with ease since he's accustomed to it. He walked over to the window, seeing that they had a balcony. He looked back at his teammates, all of them were sound asleep. He couldn't go to sleep so he opened the door slightly and stepped outside. It was really cold, but he wanted to endure it. They were going to be outside throughout the tournament, so this will need to be nothing soon. He sat on the stone railing, leaning his back against the building. It was pretty cloudless, except for a few scattered ones here and there. The moon didn't seem to be out, which wouldn't be good for them during the night.

He looked over at the forest itself, seeing that it was pretty thick. Still, small amounts of the moon's light would be better than none at all. They would have to think up something for that. He was sure that no one brought a flashlight.

Max woke up. He looked at the time, seeing that it was one in the morning. He couldn't believe that they've been sleeping for nearly twelve hours. He would have to be more careful when he's doing something that complex in the future. He lifted up the covers, seeing that Ed was still in his hiding spot. Max had created a hole big enough for him in the bed. They both needed the rest, it seemed. He looked up, seeing that Tyson and Kenny were sleeping in the bed next to him. He figured that Krypton, Jade and Kai were sleeping in the other room, so that only left Rei.

He sat up, looking around the room for him. He then spotted something outside and hurriedly grabbed two jackets to put on himself and a blanket for Rei. He ran over, seeing that he was just staring. He opened the door and closed it quickly before the cold seeped into the room.

"What are you doing up?" Rei asked.

Max placed the blanket over him. "What are you doing out here with nothing to shield you from the cold?" Max asked with a bit of anger.

"Just wanted to get a feel for what it'll be like in a few days."

"You really think we'll be out there for that long?"

Rei nodded, "We can't really get a sense for where the center is while walking… Why did you leave the party?"

"I didn't like the atmosphere so I walked out." He did stay outside of the room for a bit with Ed, but then they decided that they should make the automail arm to kill the time. "How long have you been out here for? It's one, right now."

"For about an hour then." He tugged the blanket closer around him. "It hasn't been too bad."

"It's still cold out. What if you happened to freeze?" He stopped himself from saying the last bit, remembering that Ed said that he did something to his hands.

"My winters are harsh too." He smiled, "Maybe not to the same degree as here, but they are pretty harsh."

Max sighed, "That's not really the point, Rei. But, anyway, how was it being with your sister again?"

"It was a lot of fun. Kai and Wu were both trying to make me not go tomorrow."

"Oh… Why don't you stay back this time?"

"I just can't… I would like to, I really would, but I can't."

Max lay his head on Rei's legs, with his arms in between, "We got your back, okay? If you can't escape from coming here, then we'll just have to protect you." He smiled.

Rei smiled softly back, "I can protect myself."

"Yeah, and we'll cover your back. Even you can't see what's behind you."

Rei started to laugh. "Are you planning on staying out here with me?"

"Yep!" He smiled.

"Then why not sit down. I'm not planning on going back inside for a while."

Max lifted up his head, a bit surprised that Rei would say that, actually. He moved over to a spot where he could lift himself up to sit next to Rei, Rei moved the blanket that way Max was under it too. Rei laid his head on Max's shoulder, reminding him that Rei had once slept on his shoulder like he did with Kai. Max actually noticed how quiet it was out here.

"Tomorrow is going to be hard." Rei suddenly said. "The Yami Hunters all are able to see into the future, and they can't even see what's going to happen with that tournament."

"Are they worried?" Max didn't actually believed that they could see into the future. They were probably really good at guessing. He also didn't believe that they were mystical, as Rei was trying to make them sound. Summoning up things like other spirits was just like summoning a Bit Beast, both being a spirit like thing, but using magic and such is pretty much alchemy in work. And even though alchemy was considered magic in their world, it became a science. So, everything that someone did with "magic" could be logically explained with the concepts of alchemy.

"No… They're excited because it would be the first time that they've gone in blindfolded. Though, I guess Kaiba-san can see a bit, since he gave them a mission for this tournament."

"I'm guessing it's not to win, so what is it?" Max was able to clearly see that while he was training with Ed. He noticed that they were only pretending to care about winning because that would be the logical emotion and goal to have, but they're not really logical at all.

"It's to save those who switch over."

"What does that mean?"

"They don't know either."

"So, let me guess, they figure they'll understand it as the tournament is under way?"

Rei nodded, "You only met them once and you're able to understand them."

"Once you ponder on them long enough, you get to see their pattern."

Rei laughed, "I think they would be insulted if they heard that."

"And if they do anything to try to move away from that pattern, they'll just fall right into it again." Max smiled, "I know they're not the kind of people who care about winning. They just appeared to us that way because it's the only thing that we understood. They might've even done it to anger Jade, since they seem to like getting on her case."

"Yeah… though I think that's because they can sense that something isn't quite right with her, you know? I understand it because she told me about it once. But, to anyone else, her actions are harsh and her reasoning is cold. Both of them are stubborn and they both take pride in the fact that they're unbeatable. The Yami Hunters don't care about winning and they take pride in their abilities."

"They do seem like opposites." Max laughed.

"Yeah…" Rei agreed and they just stayed like that for the rest of the night. Suddenly, the door opened and Kai was looking around. Max and Rei looked at him and he stared at them for a moment. "What's wrong, Kai?" Rei asked.

Kai ran back into the room. Max and Rei looked at each other as they got off the railing, seeing that he left the room door open.

"What's up with Kai?" Tyson asked, still half asleep.

Rei noticed that the doors to Kai's room were opened. He then ran out the door, seeing Kai running towards the lobby. Rei jumped down so he didn't have to waste time with the stairs. Kai had to stop to open the doors, giving Rei the time he needed to catch up to him. He only made it a few feet from the door before Rei tackled him.

"Let go of me, Rei." He demanded, struggling to make him.

"It's okay, Kai." Rei said.

"Like hell it is. Let me go." He was struggling less now.

"They'll be okay. I promise." He said softly, getting Kai to calm down.

Only when Kai fully stopped struggling did Rei got off him. Kai just laid there, not moving or saying a word. Rei sighed, looking back at the hotel to see that Tyson and them were now running down the stairs. Before they had a chance to say anything, Rei shook his head. They all just stand there, together in a collective silence.

WOW!!! It's that something. The Yami Hunters are excited about the whole thing while everyone else is nervous. And now, this happens. Hm… Wow… I kinda don't know what to say. I mean, it should be obvious what happened, but at the same time, since everything right now is vague, I don't want to say anything too much about it to give it more away. Though, I guess I can comment on Rei. He did seem like he was having more fun with Wu around him than with anyone else. It's kinda weird that the White Tigers openly hate her, though they did claim that she was the reason for him to not be totally serious about Beyblading. They're even blaming her for controlling him. And, yet, they're okay with Krypton and Jade controlling him? It's also funny how the two people that should understand them the most are also the people that are willing to stay up to them. Rei did seem kinda pissed as they were talking. I wondered if he got the reading glasses he was promised and if he'll give the translators to the others. I guess, we'll find out in the next chapter! See ya then!


	19. Chap 18 Blading Forest Starts

Wow, we're already at the eighteenth chapter. YAY FOR US!!! Everyone should be excited about this. It's like turning eighteen. It's a very special moment. Everyone should be smiling and embracing each other; it's such a happy moment. What? There is misery somewhere in the world? That can't possibly be true. This is the time to celebrate! To break out the dance floor and have yourself a good old time with friends. I guess you guys don't believe me, huh? Fine, then. I'll just let the BladeBreakers show you how it's done.

The BladeBreakers stood still for a long time. No one was moving; no one was talking. Kai slowly got up from the ground, but he wasn't looking at anyone as he walked back inside. Rei got himself up as well, following him as Tyson and Max closed the door to the hotel. They all headed back to their room.

When they got back, Kai went straight to the room that he had been using, closing the door behind him quietly.

"Wow…" Tyson said. That's all he could say, since he didn't know what else to do.

"Did anyone notice them leaving?" Kenny asked.

"We were outside." Max said. He wondered if Ed noticed anything.

"Anyway," Rei said, "We ought to get some sleep."

"But…" Tyson started before Rei cut him off.

"Kai can probably hear us in the other room, you know." That made everyone silent again. "The best thing we can do is hope they show up in the morning."

They all nodded, with Tyson and Kenny getting back in their beds.

"What are you going to do?" Max asked.

"I'll keep Kai company. I can't really sleep too well as it is, so I think that's probably better for me. And thanks, for earlier."

Max smiled, "No problem. I guess we shouldn't overwhelm him, huh?"

"Yeah… So, if you guys can't sleep too well either, try to find something productive to do." He then turned, opening the door slowly before stepping in.

Max wished that Rei didn't have to be with Kai alone. He looked over at Tyson, seeing that he was already fast asleep. Kenny was trying so Max thought he better go check up on Ed. He noticed that he was awake. "Well?"

"I did hear them leave, but they weren't saying anything." Ed answered.

Max sighed, "Are you tried?"

"Not anymore. Why?"

"We might as well spar then. I'm not going to get anymore sleep."

He nodded as he got himself up. Max grabbed them some jackets. "Kenny," He said looked at him, "I'm going to go out to train for a bit."

"Want me to get Tyson up?"

"Nah, that's okay. I figured that I should tell you incase Rei or Kai comes out."

"Right."

Max then left with Ed, making sure that no one noticed him.

"Go away." Kai said as he laid on his stomach. Rei sat down on the same bed.

"It's not like they've left and are never coming back." Rei said with a smile, "I understand it's a big deal and all, but we'll probably see them tomorrow."

"And what if we chased them away?" Kai said angrily.

"I doubt that."

"They can be like that, you know."

"Yeah, but I don't think that even having us stand up to them would make them leave. If that was the case, they probably would've left way before this."

"Does it really matter when they left?"

"What did you wake up to?"

"A pillow."

Rei sighed, "I see why you're worried then." That probably meant that they were leaving in secret. "Maybe they wanted to get a look at the forest."

"Why would they do something stupid like that?"

"Because they want to prepare us for it. They're the kind that would take things on themselves when they don't need to."

"For someone who's depress, you're sure don't sound like it." Kai looked at him.

Rei looked at him, "Learned that from Krypton?"

Kai looked at the bed, "Sorry."

"Besides," Rei looked at the door, "Max told me that everyone will help me. I want to believe in that. Being depress isn't something that I'm used to."

"Though, you're good at hiding it." Kai pointed out.

"I've been hiding for a long time… But, I know how important it is to keep up and move on." Rei looked at Kai, "We'll see them during the tournament. I'm sure we'll see them tomorrow."

"… Have you ever woke up to find your world in a mess? That's how felt when I noticed."

Rei nodded, "Yeah, I have. I'll let you know that I've felt like that more times than I can count, but once I realized that I'm there, in that kind of a world, I reminded myself that I need to keep going."

Kai rolled over, "Sounds like mine should be nothing."

"Pain can't be measured and it shouldn't be your excuse or make you feel superior to another."

Kai then changed the subject and him and Rei talked for the rest of the night. In the morning, Rei noticed the bag and a note on it. It was from Wu, saying that Eric was able to put a lot of food in this small bag because of a spell she placed on it. Rei smiled softly, knowing which one she used as he picked it up and placed it in the bag that he brought.

"Let's go." Kai said as everyone got everything ready. Everyone nodded as they headed out, leaving early so they wouldn't run into any of the other teams that were staying there. They were the first team to register, but they weren't one of the teams that got a map. Minutes after they had signed up, the other teams started to appear, but they were ones that the BladeBreakers didn't recognize.

"Rei!" They heard from the entrance. Wu was running over to them with the Yami Hunters behind her.

"What are you doing here?" Rei asked when she stopped near them, catching her breath.

"I… I wanted to give you one more spell." She looked at him.

Rei blinked, "I'm not good with magic, remember?"

She shook her head, "Laptops can't last without an outlet, right?"

"My laptop is also battery powered." Kenny said. "Besides, I doubt magic can make it last forever."

Wu smiled, "Then you know nothing about magic. It can do anything." Max looked away so he didn't contradict her in front of Rei. "Mind if I show you?"

"She's quite skilled in it." Rei informed Kenny.

"Alright, give it a shot, but I don't think it'll work." Kenny handed his laptop over. Kai then noticed that the Yami Hunters were registering themselves up.

Wu laid it across her forearms, chanting something as the laptop started to glow. Kai then noticed that he felt a similarity to something when she did so, but he couldn't place where. She stopped chanting after a while, having the glowing stop as well. She handed it back to Kenny with a smile, "Here you go."

Kenny was about to open it to check it out when Mariah came out from no where and punched Wu in the face. Wu was pushed back, but she didn't fall to the ground.

"What the hell was that for?" Rei asked in anger.

"You shouldn't accept anything from her, Kenny." She said, looking hatefully at Wu. "Even if she can do magic, it'll only curse you."

Before Rei could say anything else, Wu stopped him with a motion from her hand. She looked at Mariah with determine eyes. "::::I'm a lot stronger than you are, Mariah.::::" She said in her native tongue.

"::::What? A blind girl…::::"

"::::You're still expecting me to be helpless? Unlike you, I have become stronger, thanks to my friends. Rei and I are not longer the people you know back in the village. We have become stronger, thanks to our friends. You and the village will never be able to catch up to us.::::"

"That's some big talk coming from a blind girl."

"I would prove it, too, if you didn't need all your energy for this tournament. Come at me again, and I promise you that I won't hold back." Rei was kinda impressed, smiling a bit since Wu wasn't like this before. She would've bowed to them and walk away before.

Mariah, obviously, wasn't liking that one bit. Before she could say something, Rei interrupted, "Are you okay?" He walked over to Wu, lifting her face to face him. Her face was starting to swell where the punch landed, "Sorry. I should've noticed."

Wu smiled, "Bastetka will heal this up. Though, I'll have to make sure that only he finds out because I doubt Yoma would take this sitting down."

Rei laughed. He looked at Mariah, seeing her still angry, "Have you guys registered?" She glared before walking away without another word. Rei sighed, "You have gotten a lot stronger. Are you planning on staying here to wait for us?"

She shook her head, "We'll be waiting at the hotel." She looked at Kai, "+They're inside.+"

Kai stared at her for a moment before heading over to the starting gate. The rest of the team followed.

"::::Are they okay?::::" Rei asked.

"I don't know. I can't tell that much, but I can feel them inside there. That's another reason I had the Yami Hunters bring me here."

"Is anyone going to take you back?"

She nodded, "Someone that their sponsor knows. I'll be fine, Rei. Your friends need you, too."

Rei gave her a hug before heading over to his team. He noticed that all the other teams that they knew were asking about Jade and Krypton, except for the Yami Hunters.

They did their morning greeting, announcing that the game will now begin and to wish everyone luck. Something caught the corner of Rei's eye as they were able to head in. He noticed a man walking away in a suit that seemed to suggest that he was part of the tournament, but Rei thought he saw a cane in his hand and not just anyone's cane, but Sage's cane.

"Rei?" Rei looked to see Tyson there, his hand on his shoulder, "You okay?"

Rei looked over, not seeing him anymore. "I thought I saw someone I knew."

"Is that person there?"

"I lost him…"

"Well, Jade and Krypton are waiting for us."

Rei nodded before following them into the forest.

Max looked behind a bit, making sure that Ed was able to enter along with them. He knew that Ed would be okay navigating through the place, since he was able to survive in the wild twice in his life. When they came to the point in the forest where the trees were becoming really thick, Max noticed something different in the air, making him stop.

"What's wrong, Max?" Tyson asked.

"Didn't you guys feel that?"

"Feel what?" Kenny asked.

"I felt like we just passed through something."

Rei looked around, sensing something as well, "I think you might be right, Max." Rei looked back at the group, "There is something off about this part of the forest."

"It looks the same, though." Kenny pointed out.

"A solid doesn't always have to be hard." Max said, "I'll see if we can escape." He walked back the way they came, not feeling that feeling again. He walked back to his group, noticing that he didn't feel it.

"Maybe it was in your head?" Tyson offered. "We're all probably jumpy right now."

Max shook his head, "No, I definitely felt something."

"We'll back track then." Kai said. "We'll head back the way we came and if we end up where we started, then we'll know nothing happened."

Max nodded, leading the way back to the station. He stopped as he noticed that the trees weren't thinning out.

"What now?" Tyson asked.

"The trees. I know we were able to see the other teams through the trees a moment ago."

Everyone looked to the sides, realizing what he already noticed. "How can that be? We're not even that far into the forest and already weird stuff is happening." Kenny said.

"Check to see if Wu's spell worked." Rei said.

Kenny opened his laptop, clicking something before waiting. "WOW! She was able to keep up the battery power, as if it was plugged in."

"All you would have to do is keep the electrical charge continuous for that to happen." Max said, as if it shouldn't be impressive. "Why did you want him to check?"

"I know the spell she used, and I just wanted to know if we were able to contact the outside world."

"Are you saying that we're in another world now?" Kai asked.

"That seems logical." Max said, "There's an obvious, yet very small, changes that would suggest this. What should we do?"

"Wu said that Jade and Krypton are in here and that's all I need to know to keep going." Kai said.

"I'm with ya, Kai." Tyson said, "If they're in here, then we better find them."

"Rei, Max?" Kai looked at them.

"Did we ever say that we weren't going to keep going?" Rei asked with a smile, "We're just pointing out that we ought to be careful since we're not in our world anymore."

"And that we also need to find a way of getting out of here while we're looking for them. I'm sure the other teams haven't noticed it yet, so we should also inform them when we meet up with them." Max added.

"Unless we run into the Yami Hunters, I don't think we should." Rei said, "They probably wouldn't believe us even if we told them."

"They would if unworldly creatures attack them." Max said.

"You do realize that we're wasting time, right?" Kai asked. "You can talk about a plan as we're walking." He then started to head off back the way they were going.

"What makes you think that unworldly creatures are going to appear?" Rei asked as they followed.

"Just call it a hunch." Max had a feeling that this was similar to the place that him and Ed landed for their training. He still remembers how hard it was at the beginning, hoping to never run into those creatures again.

"That's a pretty weird hunch." Tyson said, "Besides, things like that only happen in anime and manga."

Max kept his mouth shut as Rei wondered if he should tell him that they are other worlds out there. "I didn't think you would believe in other worlds coexisting with our own, Max." Rei said softly.

"Yeah, I do." After all, Ed was from another world.

Rei smiled, "That's cool."

"So, what was Wu saying to Mariah?"

"Yeah, and why do the White Tigers hate her so much?" Tyson added. "I mean, I know you said that they never liked her before, but don't you think a punch is taking it too far?"

"Wu was basically telling her that she's no longer the person she was when she was back in the village." Rei said with a smile. "Before, whenever they would yell at her, she would cower away and listen to what they told her to do. Back in the village, she would strict herself to doing what people thought she was able to do. Only people with green eyes are blind, so she would pretend to be blind. She only told me and our shaman that she could see into the spiritual world. So, we tried to help her see this world too, using the spiritual world to aid her. She got really good at it before leaving, and is probably using it everywhere now so that she doesn't appeared blind. It even surprised Yoma that she was blind."

"Oh, so she's the one you were mentioning when talking to Dark." Kenny said.

"Yeah… But, I don't think she would've wanted to be apart of this life, anyway."

"Why?"

"She was far too gentle in the past. Everyone else was naturally strong willed. I think she liked cheering on the side anyway."

"So was she telling Mariah that she can see and will no longer bow down to their demands?" Max asked.

"I think she would show that one more than tell it. And, yeah, she was telling her that she won't bow to them anymore."

"Did she find that strength while away from the village?" Tyson asked.

"She said that she found it within her friends. So, I'm really grateful to them. So, I probably don't have to worry about her as much as I once thought I did."

"Yoma would be there to protect her, so why worry at all?" Kai asked. Rei thought that he wasn't really paying attention, since he seemed so focus on finding Jade and Krypton. For some reason, he wanted to laugh at how everyone wanted to know about Wu.

"He told me that his mother can't have anymore kids and it was thanks to something his father did. Plus, he doesn't want to have mix blood in the main line."

"They're planning on marrying each other?" Max was surprised to hear that. "And they're about as old as we are? Don't you think that's kinda early to be thinking about that kind of stuff?"

"It might be, but I can tell that they do love each other. Love at first sight and all that, with only one admitting it. Though, if I happened to have seen that, I probably would've put Yoma through much more than he could handle just trying to scare him off."

"Why?" Tyson asked with a laugh, "Wouldn't you want your sister to be happy?"

"And that would be why. I made a promise to her saying that I would make sure that any guy she wants is strong enough for her. Of course, I would be stronger, but strong enough to protect her and all."

"So, the first time you went to see him, you were doing your testing?" Kenny asked.

"Yep. Though, with her comment to me, I think all her friends would protect her." Rei figured it would be because of that boat incident that they would hurt anyone that hurts her. Rei kinda sensed that when Yoma was speaking to them yesterday.

"So then, why do the White Tigers hate her so much?" Tyson repeated.

"They believe that she can take me away from Beyblades. They're jealous of her because I would hang out with her the most. That always unsettled Mariah…"

"But she can take you away from Beyblades." Tyson pointed out. "You said so yourself yesterday."

"There's a duty that I need to fulfill and an honor that I was handed. They probably think that she encouraged me to leave the village and, therefore, forsake my duties."

"But she didn't, right?" Max asked. "You left on your own to improve on the skills you learned back home."

"Yep. But, I guess disappearing for nearly four years would put silly ideas in their heads."

"Four years?" Everyone asked in shock. "It always sounded like you left China, met Mr. D and then became part of the BladeBreakers in, maybe, a year or so." Tyson said.

Rei laughed, "I did meet Mr. Dickenson nearly after I left."

"I'm surprised they forgave you so easily." Kenny said.

"It wasn't ease."

"If you left, why did you want them to forgive you?" Max asked.

"I didn't really, but it was nice bonus. I wanted them to understand so they could let the elders know why I did what I did."

Right then, they heard a sound. Everyone stopped and listened, hearing people coming this way. Everyone got into their positions, with Kenny in the middle with his laptop out and ready.

And that's where I'll leave you off at. smiles See! It wasn't a totally bad day! And you thought there was going to be misery all around. Wu is a lot stronger and you're learning more about Rei. YAY!! Now spread the joy! Bye!


	20. Chap 19 Creatures of the Forest

The BladeBreakers were suddenly transported to Hawaii, where they decided to spend the rest of their lives soaking up the beautiful rays of the sun and surfing the crystal clear waters. IN THEIR DREAMS!!! They're still in Russia, and they just heard a strange noise. What could it be? Could it be Jade and Krypton? Oh, wouldn't that end the story? I still think they need to be transported to Hawaii. It's such a nice little chain island.

They were ready with their Beyblades out. They've been standing like this for a while now, but there was no new sound. Max was hoping that Ed didn't send them into alert mode, and he couldn't see him from where he ended up to tell.

"False alarm?" Tyson asked, though he wasn't going to relax just yet.

"No, they're around." Rei said, "They're just waiting now, since they know that we're here."

"Maybe we should strike first?" Kenny offered.

"Can you tell if they're someone we know?" Kai asked.

"I don't think so, but I'm not too sure on it either." Rei felt like he should know the presence he was feeling, but wasn't sure as to why.

"How about one of us strikes? That way we can end this stand still?" Max asked. "I'm starting to get nervous as it is with all this silence."

"I'll launch and see what's out there." Rei said, launching Driger in a way that he would throw a ninja knife. Right then, a blast came from the forest. Max launched Draciel and got Driger out of the way, making them fall to the ground.

Creatures emerged from the forest, all of them were different in size and animal. "What are these things?" Kenny asked.

"Are they part of the tournament?" Tyson asked as a few more were now launching an attack. Tyson and Kai launched their Beyblades, having them go immediately into their whirlwind attack. That was strong enough to negate the attack that was coming at them.

Max and Rei were also using their combos, using ones that they thought would never come up in a battle. Kenny was recording all of their movements, though finding it hard to keep focus since he wanted to get both sides.

"This is a lot easier when you're fighting each other." Kenny commented before looking up to see that something was coming straight for him. Rei kicked back whatever it was, pausing for a moment to see what had thrown it. It appeared that a green glob with eyes had thrown it. More appeared near it and they all started to throw the same purple stuff their way. Rei quickly kicked all the stuff back, matching perfectly with their speed. Kenny was impressed that he was able to do that while controlling Driger.

Rei then kicked a few at them with a lot more force than they gave. It all hit their marks, knocking them over. "I think we should retreat." Rei said, backing up so that everyone could hear him. "We're not gaining any ground by fighting them."

"Tyson and I will clear a path. You two make sure that Kenny is okay." Kai ordered before they went to work. Dragoon and Dranzer were doing moves that were making the creatures move back so that they could get through. Rei pushed Kenny along, forcing him to close his laptop so that he could concentrate where he was going.

Max was looking around for Ed in the chaos. He knew that he needed to catch up to his team, but he wouldn't abandon Ed like that, no matter what.

"MAX!" He heard Rei yelled. He looked beside him to see some kind of ice blast coming at him before he was pushed away from it.

"What the hell you think you're doing, shrimp?!" He looked to the body that knocked him over to see that it was Ed.

"What the hell you think you're doing, half pint?!" Max yelled back.

"Ant!"

"Bean!"

"Tiny!"

"Little man!"

Rei stood still, watching them yell short comments at each other. He looked ahead of him, seeing that the others were already gone and that their path was about to be covered up. He looked back over towards his partner, seeing that they had stood up and another creature was coming at them. "Max!" He yelled, running over towards them.

Max and Ed looked at the oncoming creature. Max clapped his hands together, placing a hand on Ed's new arm to form his famous dagger out of the automail. "Stay out of our fight!" They yelled, both punching the creature back.

Rei stopped for a moment, wondering who this guy was. "Guys, let's get moving!" He yelled. Max and the new guy looked at him before running over towards him. Rei looked ahead, pulling out his staff and ran faster to knock out the creatures that were in their way. He heard a clapping sound so he looked behind to see that Max was placing his hands on the ground. The whole earth started to shake and all the creatures became trapped. Rei stared at Max, wondering how he could do something like that.

"Don't stand there." Max said as he grabbed Rei's arm as they continued to run. Rei recalled Driger and noticed that Draciel was still running along side of them. He looked ahead to see Dragoon. He went into some bushes and they quickly followed. Rei was glad that everyone was safe as soon as they saw them.

"Who's that?" Kai asked as Tyson caught Dragoon.

Draciel jumped vertically into Max's hands, "This is Ed." He said. "He's been staying at my house for a long while now."

"Hey!" He said with a smile. "Nice to see everyone face to face."

"How did you get here?" Kai asked.

"Now, now Kai." Max said, finally letting go of Rei's wrist, "don't get mad. I snuck him on the plane and into our hotel. He also knows about what Jade and Krypton have been teaching us since I practice some of it with him to hone another skill that he taught me."

"Why are we only meeting him at a dangerous time?" Tyson asked.

"I wasn't planning on letting him stay this long, for one thing." Max said.

"Speaking of which, don't over do it." Ed looked at Max.

"That was over doing it? I didn't feel a thing." Max looked at him, "Besides, how else were we going to get through? It wasn't like we know how to defeat those creatures."

"And I'm telling you to not over do it."

"What did you do back there anyway?" Rei asked, since he got the sense that that was what they were talking about.

Max smiled at Rei, "Science."

Rei raised an eyebrow, "Looked a lot more like magic to me."

Max shook his head, "It only looked like that since that's probably the only way you can understand alchemy. But, it was science, through and through."

"Alchemy was magic in a different sense."

"Nope, it's science."

"I think I know the difference between science and magic. I'm not that backwards."

"I'm not saying that you are, but this kind of alchemy is science. And anything that you would probably consider magical is actually alchemy at work."

Kai noticed how Rei suddenly got ticked off right then, but was trying not to show it. "Let's get going before they find us." Kai said, not wanting a fight within the group. "Ed," He looked at him, "I hope that you can help us fight."

"Yeah. I'm the one that taught Max how to fight." He said with a smile.

Kai nodded, "Welcome to the team." He said before walking ahead.

"I didn't know he would accept me as a member." Ed commented as they all headed off the way that Kai was walking.

"Either did I… Though, that is cool." Max said with a smile.

"So Max," Tyson said as Rei walked up to where Kai was, "at the hotel, you were talking in your sleep, with it ending with milk."

They both started to laugh, "I was arguing with him." Max said with a smile. "We've been insulting each other about our heights."

"Did you hear anything when they left?" Kenny asked.

"No, they were silent as they left, sorry." Ed said.

"So what are you so mad about?" Kai asked as the others were talking to Ed and Max.

Rei was silent for a moment, "Max just belittled what Wu can do by calling it a science."

"He probably didn't mean it."

"I don't think so… not by the way he kept on insisting that what she can do is a science."

Kai wondered if this was something that was deeper than he was making it appear. "Any idea on what those creatures were?"

"No, but I do know that we're going to have a tough time fighting them. I know that we could probably take them on, but I'm not sure about our chances at winning a battle. I'm not sure how strong we really are compared to them."

"You're not being hopeful like I was hoping for." Kai said honestly.

Rei smiled a bit, "I'm not saying that we shouldn't fight them, but we need to be on our toes, know when we need to run instead of fight. Those creatures… they're probably more in this forest, so we need to make sure that we have an escape route and not get separated."

Kai nodded, "Right. Do you think we'll last in here?"

"… Yeah, we will." Rei smiled to him, "We'll all go back home together."

Kai nodded, knowing that Rei said that to make him feel better, but also glad that Rei said that.

Max noticed how Rei and Kai were walking ahead of them, and they seemed to be ignoring them. He was happy when he got to protect Rei, and glad that he didn't make him let go of his wrist. Tyson and Kenny were getting the hint that there was something special about Ed, but they were going to avoid the fact that he was from another world and time.

Though, Max started to think about those creatures. He recognized some of them from their training, so he was worried that they would have to cross an ocean in order to get back home. He looked around him, seeing that everything wasn't all that different, though that's how it appeared the first time as well. He knew that they could be killed, in a sense, but he wasn't sure if they should. He knew that Ed was wondering the same thing, but they both figured that they would wait to see. After all, they can't really reveal that they recognize the creatures since that would say that they had encountered them before. Max didn't want their time on the island to be revealed, since it was then that they first bonded. "Ed," Ed looked at Max, "thanks for the save." Max smiled.

Ed rubbed his head, "Any time. Sorry for revealing myself."

"I was actually worried about you, so it's a good thing that you did."

"Were you hesitating since Rei was around?"

"Yeah, that's pretty much it."

"Just be careful."

Max smiled before nodding, "Right."

"Hey," Tyson called to Kai and Rei, "can we get something to eat?"

They looked at each other, "Don't know how safe it is to stop." Rei said, looking at him, "How long have we been in here?" He looked at Kenny.

He opened his laptop, "An hour so far. That means that they're sending in those people."

"I wonder if they know what they're up against." Tyson said.

"We should rest for a bit." Kai said to Rei, "Nothing too heavy since we've only been in here an hour and nothing that would attract attention."

"Are you trying to put me on a diet, Kai?" Tyson asked with a laugh.

"We should, since we should also ration the food a bit for more than one reason."

"Other than we don't know how long we're going to be in here, what else?" Max asked.

"We have an extra member on our team." Kai said with a smile. "Eric got us more food, but I don't know how much."

"Shouldn't he have planned for Jade and Krypton?"

"I don't know what he planned for." Kai looked at Rei, "Do you?"

"Not really, but I'll know once I look."

"Okay, so we'll ration the food, I get that, so can we eat?" Tyson asked.

"Let's cover more ground before we eat something." Rei said, "That way we can get closer to the center, have a higher chance of running into someone, and be at a safer location to eat."

"Fine." Tyson gave in.

"Maybe we should look for a river." Kai looked at Rei. Max was wondering why Kai was getting Rei's opinion on the matter. "To have water for whatever we need."

"I would agree with that." Rei said before heading up through the trees.

"Rei!" Max called, remembering that there were flying ones too.

Rei reached the top of the tree line. He looked over the horizon to see that this was something different from what he was looking at during the night. He looked up, hearing something from the sky, to see that a bug was coming straight for them. Rei jumped back down the tree, with it following closely behind. Rei jumped towards Kai, pulling him out of harms way, "Move!" He yelled to everyone else.

The creature was now in the middle of them all, baring its pitchers at everyone and yelling. A light came from Max, and he was bringing up some kind of harpoons from the ground. He handed one to Ed before standing up. The creature yelled at them, now heading for them at a fast speed. They separated and came at it from the sides, throwing the weapons at him. They were lodged into the beast, making it cry in pain before turning into particles.

"How did you guys do that?" Tyson asked, who was standing in front of Kenny.

"I guess that's how you kill them." Max said.

Rei looked up at the sky, hearing more sounds, "We should get going. I think more are going to come."

"But we know that they can be defeated." Tyson said, "I'm sure that we can beat them."

"If there isn't more than we can handle. We shouldn't chance the possibility that there is going to be a swarm."

Kai could see that Rei wasn't happy about something. He looked like he wanted to be left alone, or something. "Let's go. We shouldn't fight those things unless we have to. After all, we're still in a tournament."

"You think…" Tyson started but noticed the look in Kai's eyes. He wondered why Kai was looking so concern. He sighed, "Okay, fine."

Kai got up and noticed that Rei didn't want to move. "Are you going to catch up?" He asked quietly as the others were starting to move.

Rei looked at the ground before getting up, "I'm good." He said before walking where the others were heading. Kai sighed, wondering what was going on. It was bad enough that Max was keeping information.

"We'll just use the snow for water." Rei said, "Though, if it starts to snow, we're going to have some troubles keeping it up."

"You have nothing to worry about!" Max said with a smile.

"Why?" Rei didn't want to look at him right now, but was doing so.

"Because I can keep it up by using alchemy. Alchemy can do pretty much everything."

"That's the power of alchemy!" Ed said with excitement.

"That's the power of science!" Max said with the same excitement.

"Yeah!" They took each other hand as they said that in unison.

Rei was trying not to look at Max with an angry face, since he could tell that Kai was going to keep the peace so they can keep going. "I'm sure that alchemy can't do everything."

"Nope, alchemy can do everything." He said with a smile on his face.

Rei keep his face still, "Do anyone know where the center was for the area?"

"You still want to treat this as the same area?" Ed asked, "I'm sure that the center had changed by now."

Rei smiled, though it was one that was worrying Kai. "Just thought that I ask. I won't make the same mistake twice."

"What were you trying to find?" Kai asked, knowing that Rei doesn't ask random questions.

"I was wondering if we should follow the sun to make sure that we're heading in the right direction. If it's not cloudy, we'll also use the stars to help navigate."

"We're going to move during the night?" Kenny asked, "I don't think that's safe."

"In case we have to. I know that our luck won't keep us safe. Plus, we could use them to help orient us in the right direction if we stray."

"That sounds good, if any of us could do that." Tyson said.

"What makes you think I can't?"

"You can?"

He nodded, "We had people in our village that were interested in the stars, and I learned a thing or two from them."

"Wow, you seem like you wanted to be well rounded." Max said with a smile, "That's really cool."

"I'll make sure that we're heading north before we get lost." Rei said as he went up again. Kai knew that this reaction wasn't good. Kai could see that Rei was trying not to talk to Max.

"Max," Kai looked at him, "Don't say that alchemy is everything around Rei, okay?"

Max got ticked off. He wanted to teach Rei alchemy, which was why he was praising it. "Why not?"

"We're heading more west than north." Rei said as he came down, "And there are a lot of creatures flying around, so we should keep to the thicker parts of the forest."

"What way should we be heading?" Tyson asked.

Rei started to walk in a direction and everyone followed. Kai went up to where Rei was, knowing that Rei was still ticked off.

Max was glaring at Kai, glad that they were behind everyone so no one would see. "Maybe I should challenge Rei." Ed said, though only loud enough for them to hear.

"Why?" Max looked at him.

"That way we can get him to accept alchemy."

"Shouldn't I fight him then? Since I can use it?"

"But you wouldn't want to, right? I can at least disguise it by saying that it's a test of skill." Ed smiled.

Max blushed, "Fine, but be careful when you do. I can let Draciel be near you so that you can appear to use alchemy."

Ed thought about it for a moment, "Let me think about that."

Max nodded, wondering if Rei would accept the challenge. Though, he didn't like the fact that Kai and he were confining in each other. What made Kai so special? They weren't partners, and why was Kai being so friendly? Max wished he knew the answers.

After a few more hours, Rei found them a place to eat. Tyson and Kenny were helping with gathering wood so that Max could show his stuff. Rei wasn't talking as he was looking over the food, making Kai really worried. He then remembered that Rei was only this quiet when his kin were talking about his mother. Was Max unknowingly doing the same? Kai wished he knew the answers.

"We have enough to last us a good while." Rei said with a small smile, one of those smiles that Kai knew he gets when thinking about that mother.

"So we don't have to ration?" Kai asked, glad that Rei looked at peace.

"We should do so anyway, since we don't know how long we're going to be in here." He looked at Kai, keeping that expression on his face, "Though, I'm sure that we can also gather food along the way to make sure."

Kai nodded, really glad that Rei was just absorbing whatever it was that was making him smile so happily. "We probably have to be careful of what we get."

Rei nodded before going back into the bag to bring out food.

"Hey Rei," Ed called. Kai noticed how that just killed whatever was making him happy by reminding him that there was a reason he was angry. Rei closed his eyes for a moment, as if forgetting that Kai was watching him, before looking at Ed with one of his usual expressions, "How about we have a match after lunch?"

"Why?" Rei didn't think it would be much of a match.

"If I win, I want you to accept that Alchemy can do everything. If you win, then we'll let the issue go."

Kai thought that Rei wouldn't accept something like that. He looked at him, seeing that a weird smile came on Rei's face. He looked like he was thinking of something that was giving him inner delight. An inner delight Kai would've gotten when he had Dark Dranzer. "Alright, I accept." Rei's voice was even weird, though Kai could tell that no one else caught it, or they didn't care.

Ed smiled, "Thanks."

Rei went back to gather the food. "Rei," Kai asked quietly as Max and Ed were talking. Rei looked at him, his expression back to normal, "Go ease on him, okay?" Kai didn't like how the events were turning out. It was like the team was falling apart, but no one else was catching it.

Rei stared at him before smiling softly, as if seeing what Kai feared, "What should I not use? I'll allow you decide."

Kai blinked before looking at Ed. He knew that he taught Max how to fight, so he would have to use that as a basis. "Don't use Byakko, ninjitsu, or anything you learned from that show."

"Okay." Rei smiled at Kai, "I promise." He got the last of the food out that they were going to eat, "I'm not going to break us up, okay?"

Kai nodded, "If something's bothering you, you can tell me."

Rei nodded, "I'm trying not to let my partner know, though."

"You're already doing a good job of that, but I'm noticing it and I'm starting to worry about you."

Rei pointed to his head, "I'm not losing yet." Then Kenny and Tyson came back.

"Is this good, Rei?" Kenny asked.

"That's plenty." Rei said, heading over there.

"Place them in that circle." Max said. Kai didn't notice that he had made a circle. It had a flame and triangles in it. Kenny and Tyson did so before backing up.

"Should we worry about smoke?" Tyson asked.

"I got that covered as well." Max said with a smile before clapping his hands together and placing them on the logs. They instantly caught and when the smoke reached the trees, the trees themselves were dispersing it.

"That's awesome!" Kenny said with a lot of amazement.

"Of course." Max said with pride. "The power of alchemy."

"The power of science." Ed said.

"Yeah!" They did the same thing again. Tyson laughed a bit as Rei was cooking. Kai decided to help him, as well as keeping Rei's off of whatever they were doing to insult his mother.

"This is good, Rei." Tyson said through mouthfuls. "I'm glad that you ask Eric for more food, Kai."

"Do you want some water, Rei?" Max asked. "And does anyone want something to drink?"

"We'll just wait until we reach some kind of water to wash what we're using." Rei said, though Kai was noticing that he wasn't eating again. He took bites, but he wasn't finishing anything. Kai also wondered why he wasn't eating any of the meat he just cooked.

"I can get water here. Trust me, water is my specialty." Max said with a smile.

"Fine." Rei said, as if giving up the fight.

Max smiled as touched his chest. Kai wondered why no clap was needed as something was gathering in front of Max. Suddenly, a huge glob of water was floating in the air and Max smiled, "Is that enough?"

Kai looked at Rei, seeing that he just sighed. How was this making Rei mad? "Yeah, that's enough." He got up and went searching for something in his bag. He pulled out some kind of jug, "But some in here so we can save some of that water. If anyone else has something they could put that in, please bring it out."

Kai thought about it before he went looking. He wondered why Rei was now looking sad.

"I can just make something." Max offered.

"You're not supposed to overuse alchemy, right?" Rei asked, smiling as if he was concern. "Might as well save that energy for when it counts."

Max smiled back, glad that Rei was concerned for him, "Okay."

"Here," Kai pulled out a canteen that was in here. Tyson and Kenny did the same thing and Max moved some of the water to the containers, filling them up. There was still water left by the end, so Rei used what was left to wash the dishes.

"What about the wok?" Max asked as Rei was picking it up from the ground.

"Woks don't need to be clean." Rei said as he placed it back in the bag. Kai knew that was true, learning it from Rei and Jinochi. But, Kai could also see that it was special to Rei, just by the way he smiled as he placed it down on the ground when he was done cooking.

"Okay." Max let the water particles to go back into the air where he gathered them from. Draciel was with him, giving his amulet to Ed. Max just made it seem like he still had it, so that when he got it back, it wouldn't look so weird. The amulet also made it easier for Max to transfer his energy through Ed's body. "Where should you two hold your match?"

"Match?" Tyson asked.

"Ed and Rei are going to have a match." Max explained.

Rei closed his bag and placed it on his back, "We shouldn't do here, since it would be too dangerous." He said without looking at them. He started to walk.

Everyone else gathered their things and started to follow. Kai was still the closest to him. He was worried about Rei not eating. He didn't want to say anything; he didn't want to bring it to everyone's attention again. He knew how Rei wanted to appear normal, and maybe he just couldn't stomach food right now because he was also mad. Kai was really hoping for that, since he knew that Rei had recovered.

"You're quiet, Kai." Rei said after a while, looking at him as if nothing was wrong, "Something up?"

Kai nodded, "I'll tell you later, though."

Rei looked behind them with just his eyes, "The others can't hear."

Kai smiled a bit, thinking that was funny for some reason, "Just don't scare Ed, okay?" He touched his shoulder, "and try to have fun, okay?"

"Am I still worrying you?" Rei asked, and Kai could see that he wasn't scared that he was showing more.

"Yeah, you are." Kai said honestly, "but, I won't make a scene out of it, okay? So, I'll let you know what I saw so far when everyone goes to sleep."

Rei nodded, "I'll try not to worry you, and I guess… I'll try not to hide it either."

"I thought you would want to." Kai blinked.

"I will from everyone else, but someone needs to make sure that I'm okay." Rei smiled, "How are you holding up?"

"Okay, so far." Kai smiled, "I have plenty to keep my mind busy."

Rei nodded, "I understand. Sorry for worrying you about your team."

"That's okay. I figure that you have your reasons for being this mad at their attitude."

"You seem to have an idea on that." Rei pointed out with a pout on his face.

Kai laughed, "Maybe."

Max glared at Kai again. They looked like they were having fun up there, as if the others didn't matter. It also didn't help that he couldn't hear what they were talking about. "They should get out of their own world and come back to ours." Max commented, though only loud enough for Ed to hear.

"Rei." Ed called, making him and Kai look back at them. "When is our match going to happen?"

"Soon." Rei said with a smile, "I just want some distance, that's all."

Max blushed, knowing that Ed was helping him. "I think we're at a good distance."

Rei looked at Kai, "What do you think?"

"I'm not the one with cat ears."

Rei stuck out his tongue, "Fine, we'll head over there." He pointed over to some lighter part of the forest. "Can you keep a look out, though?" Rei asked as they made their way there.

"I guess I can do you that favor." Kai smiled in his own smile. Max looked ticked, but hid it as they entered the battlefield.

"Good luck, Ed." Max said, wanting Rei to accept alchemy more than anyone.

Ed gave him the thumbs up, "Thanks." He went into to a spot that was opposite of Rei.

Rei looked at him before taking out Driger from his pocket and the staff from his back. He tossed both items to Kai, with him catching them. Kai looked at Rei, wondering why since he was allowed to use them. Rei gave Kai a smile that told him not to worry. Kai sighed, hoping that it was true.

"Why aren't you going to use Driger?" Ed asked.

"Hold on for a moment." Rei said as he went over to Kai. Max hid his anger as Rei stopped in front of him.

Rei handed Kai his knives and stars without letting anyone to see them, "I'm keeping my promise, though can I keep my necklace on?" He held up the amulet of the cat that he gave Jade before.

"I would be able to tell if he comes out, so that's fine." Rei had told him that he is able to lock up his abilities in that and that's where Byakko stays mostly.

Rei went back to where he was before, "Ready."

"I'm not going to hold back." Ed warned, though Max knew that it was more for him. Max tightened his grip on Draciel, hoping that Rei could handle it.

"Same here." Rei smiled in that weird way again, Kai noticed. He was glad that Rei was going to keep his promise.

Ed clapped his hands and lay one hand on the other, somehow bringing out a dagger. Rei looked puzzled. He looked at Kai, his eyes saying that he should have nothing to worry about. He dodged Ed by jumping over him.

Max was keeping his eyes on the battle, knowing how Ed was moving to know when to send energy. He also had to control what was being done. He was impressed by how Rei was just moving out of the way of everything. It was like he wasn't even trying. They were launching punches at each other, and such, but Rei already had enough time to know how his style was. He knew then that this would have to come down to the powers of alchemy. That was their only trump card in this battle. They had to win. They had to get Rei to accept alchemy as it was. Max had to let him know that magic was just alchemy and that nothing was better than it. It was the truth, just like the gate.

Tyson was getting into the battle, as if it was a Beybattle. Kai kept his eyes out for any signs that something was taking notice of this fight as well as watching. Rei wasn't even trying and he was able to keep up with what Ed was throwing at him. Kai knew that Ed was higher than him, but Rei was still way higher. He could tell just by the way he was moving that Rei was still holding back, not to mention that he wasn't using all his weapons. Rei looked like he was enjoying the fight, though. He wondered how long Rei was going to let this hold out. Rei was really in a totally different league when it came to fighting.

Rei heard something from behind him. He looked to see something coming their way. He kicked Ed out of the way, and jumped out of the way. He looked up to see that a winged unicorn with a metal mask on its face was heading their way. It gathered another blast in its mouth, shooting it at them once again. A wall appeared in front of Rei, taking most of the blast.

"Are you okay?" Kai asked. Rei noticed that he was on the ground. He heard the familiar sound of spinning. He looked to see that Tyson and Max send their Beyblades over to the creature. Kai noticed how Rei looked horrified as he stared at their action, but wasn't doing anything about it. He stood up and launched Dranzer over at tree, having him bounce off to hit the horse's side, knocking him out of the other Beyblade's path. Dranzer landed where the horse was as it crashed into the trees, going through a few. "Let's go before it gets up!" Kai ordered, helping Rei as he looked at him. Tyson and Max called back their Beyblades.

Max was wondering why Kai did that as they were running away. What good did it do them if they kept those creatures alive? They would just come after them again. It wasn't making any sense. After a while, they all stopped to catch their breaths.

"Man, that was close." Tyson said, "Nice shot, by the way." He said to Kai.

He nodded, seeing that Rei was pretending to be tired. "Why did you do that, though?" Max asked, "That just left one more to come after us."

"Both you and Rei were saying that we're in a different world, right? That means we're in their home. We're the invaders, not the other way round. Take that to heart when we face others." He said firmly. He could tell that Rei didn't want to see another one killed. He remembered what Wu once told him. She said that Rei doesn't like to kill. "Of course, we'll fight back enough so that we can stay alive, but only kill them as a last option. Don't make it the first like you've been doing."

"You're making it sound like it's my fault." Max pointed out. "Didn't think I had it in me?"

Kai narrowed his eyes, "Drop it, Max. That's nothing to brag about."

"You were once cold, right? I bet you were willing to do the same thing at one point."

"I was once a cold, heartless person, but that side of me has long been gone. And no, I never thought about killing someone else. So drop it."

"Let's keep going." Rei said, though he wasn't facing anyone. "It'll get dark soon, so let's get to a safe place. And Ed, let's call it a draw, okay?"

Before Ed could say something, Kai shot a glare at him. "Good idea." Kai said to Rei, "Do you want to see what way we need to go?" Kai asked softly.

Rei nodded before heading up. "What's wrong with you?" Max asked.

"Kai is worried about Rei, Max." Tyson said, "Have you been noticing something that we haven't?"

Kai nodded, "Though, let me handle it, okay?"

Tyson nodded. "Is he disturbed about killing them?"

"It looked like it."

Max was taken back, not even noticing it. He suddenly felt ashamed that he didn't see it. Was Kai the only one that could read him? Max thought he was getting better. A hand landed on his head. He looked up to see that Ed was smiling at him. Max smiled, glad that he had Ed here.

"We should head that way." Rei said as he came back, "We still had a few hours of light, so we should get as far as we can."

Kai nodded, "Led on." Rei started to walk in the direction he pointed towards. Kai could see that Rei was trying to avoid eye contact with everyone, so he was just going to allow him to do so. Everyone was quiet, making Kai more nervous than if Rei was just silent. He was trying to think up something to talk about to get rid of it.

Tyson started to talk to Kenny about something random, and slowly got Max and Ed into it. Kai smiled, glad that Tyson could see what needed to be done. Kai looked at Rei, seeing that he still didn't want to talk. Kai looked forward, knowing that having himself near Rei was good enough for now. He knew that when Rei needed to talk, he would do so.

Rei suddenly stopped and was looking straight ahead. Kai looked ahead, though not seeing anything. Rei bent down, placing a hand on the ground. Everyone was now looking around, wondering where the creatures were going to strike as they got their launchers ready. It was silent, as far as their ears could hear.

"When I say, everyone jumps outwards." Rei said suddenly, having everyone look at him. Kai noticed that his eyes were thinned out and his nails were a bit sharper. Was this how Byakko was supposed to be used? Kai had always wondered how they were supposed to work together. "Now!"

Everyone jumped outward, and a drilling creature with a nose and claws as the drills came forth in a roar. He looked over towards Rei and Kai and charged towards them. They jumped out of the way, "Dranzer!" Kai called, launching his blade.

As it was spinning, Dranzer came out from the center, screeching as he rose. He launched himself at the creature, doing a body slam move. The creature roared as he rolled towards the trees, crashing into them.

"Dragoon!" Kai heard Tyson call. He looked over to see that Dragoon was coming towards him. He covered his eyes as Dragoon flew over him. He looked to see that there were ghost like things coming from behind that were Dragoon's target. Kai looked back at the creature that Dranzer was fighting, seeing that it had just recovered.

"Draciel!" Kai heard Max call out as Dranzer launched himself at the creature again, but this time, the creature was swinging his nose around. Kai looked around, seeing that there were more of those ghost-like things that were surrounding them. Draciel was protecting Tyson and Kenny and Max and Ed were fighting against the ghosts. He looked over to where Rei was, seeing that he was fighting them with his bare fist. That just reminded Kai that he still had all of Rei's weapons.

He pulled out Driger, "Rei!" He yelled as he tossed Driger his way. Midway, something snatched it from the air. It was a ball thing with wings, a mask, two feet and a pair of eyes. He smiled at them, holding Driger in its claws. A piece of earth shot up at the creature, knocking into it. The thing let go of Driger and another piece of earth grabbed it and brought it over to Rei. Kai thought that it was Max's doing until he saw that Rei was controlling it. He wondered how that was possible before he heard Dranzer's cry.

He looked over to see that his blade was knocked over and Dranzer going back into it. The creature didn't notice that it had won as it went straight for Kai. Kai jumped out of the way, only to be grabbed by one of the ghost. It gave him a weird smile, "Come home, Kai…"

Kai stared at it, wondering where he heard the voice before. It was familiar to him, and somehow gave him the feeling of longing. "Kai!" He heard before seeing a fireball landing on the ghost. It let go of Kai and he fell back onto the ground. "Kai!" Someone picked him up.

A dulling pain was felt throughout his back. "I'm okay." He said, knowing that they needed to get out of here. He started to look around, finding the perfect route. "Everyone!" He yelled as he got up, "Follow me!" He said as he ran.

In another part of the forest, there was a serene silence that filled the space between the frozen trees. The setting sun was giving off a mighty farewell to the land of snow and frost. The last rays kisses the foliage as glimmer of tears appears, wishing the sun good fortune as it makes its way to the other side.

Then, a soft noise is heard in the distance. It is almost as if it was a whisper until the noise starts to crescendo into a scream. A truck bursts through the forest as a speed that only gravity could make and the origin of the scream was found.

"Do you even know how to drive?!" Ed yelled as they were racing down a hill, going at top speed.

"I don't see you doing any better!" Kai yelled back, being in the driver's seat.

"KAI!" Tyson yelled, seeing that they were heading straight for a tree. Kai turned the car sharply, mashing the right side mirror against the tree.

"We're going to die at this rate!" Ed said.

"Would you shut up already?!" Kai yelled. They then went over another small cliff, but one that got them more lift than the last couple of ones and they all screamed in unison.

"I can't believe we'd survived that." Max said, crawling over the side of the truck when they finally crashed to a stop. For their escape, Kai had spotted a truck in the forest. Max and Ed were in the back part of it so that they could use their alchemy to defend them as they escaped as Kai drove. Before they crashed into the huge rock, Max had slowed down their vehicle so that it would feel like hitting another car. He lay out on the cold ground, exhausted from his feet. He even remembered that they managed to do a flip and he made sure that they would land back on the wheels.

"You okay?" Ed asked as he made his way over to him.

"I'm beat." Max said with a smile. Ed then picked up Max.

"Where are we?" Tyson asked as everyone else slowly made it out of the car.

"We should look into that in the morning." Rei said, holding his head. "We should move away from the truck, though."

"Can you see?" Kai asked, "Because I can't see pass the dark."

"Did anyone bring a flashlight?" Kenny asked.

"I know that they didn't pack any."

"We can start a torch." Max said weakly.

Rei walked over to where the trees were, gathering some of their thick branches. He went into his bag and started to pull some stuff out. Rei wrapped a piece of cloth around one end of each branch after soaking it in something. Rei put back most of the stuff he took out before gathering up the branches in one hand. He put his other hand close to his mouth and fire came shooting out. When he stopped, all the branches were lit.

"What was that?" Tyson asked as Ed placed Max on his back and Rei was handing the torches out.

"Something that Yoma showed me." Rei smiled. Kai knew that wasn't true and got a good idea on where he actually learned it from. "I'll find us a safe place to camp for tonight." He said as he handed one to Ed and then continued walking forward.

"Man, both Max and Rei keep surprising us. We better watch out the next time we're tag-teaming." Tyson said to Kai with a smile.

"Max is the one that surprising me the most." Kai said, "I don't know all that Rei knows, but I got an idea of how good he is."

"I guess you would, since you did travel with him for a bit. Oh," Tyson reached into his pocket, "I grabbed him for you." He held out Dranzer.

Kai smiled, fearing that he had abandoned him for a moment there, "Thanks."

"No problem." Tyson handed him over, "So, I guess Bit Beast fighting those things is okay?"

"So far they are." He didn't have time to watch Rei to know for sure.

"How are you feeling?" Ed asked, hearing that Max was breathing irregularly.

"The cold isn't helping…" He said hoarsely, "My chest really hurts."

"As soon as we get a camp going, I'll make sure that you're warmed up."

Max smiled softly, nodding, "I'm sure rest will help as well."

"I hope so, because there isn't much we can do about your situation."

"I know.. sorry for worrying you."

"It's what I do best." Ed said with a smile.

Max laughed a bit before resting on Ed's shoulder.

After an hour walking, Rei had them set up camp in a dark part of their trail. He had gathered them some more wood and snow before he started to cook.

"Why do you think the truck was there?" Kenny asked as they were eating.

"Probably the inspectors left it there." Kai said, noticing that Rei was eating little again, though you wouldn't guess that by the portions he was getting. He had made them all a soup thing. "Which probably means that they didn't know what they were getting themselves into when they signed up for the job."

"Can we go over today?" Tyson asked, "Just so that we're clear on what we've come up with. I'm sure tomorrow is going to get crazier so I want to make sure that I got it in my head."

"Well," Rei started, "we all know that we're in another world. The creatures we're running into are all from that world. We know that they can be killed and that there are all different kinds."

"I think that some of them can talk too." Kai said, "The ghost one said something to me and it looked like the ball with the mask was going to say something as well."

"What did he say?" Kenny asked.

"Come home, Kai."

"What does that mean?" Tyson asked.

"We should probably stay away from those ones." Rei said, "It looked like you were hypnotized."

Kai wondered if that's why he thought the voice was familiar. "Agreed."

"We also know that Bit Beast can fight against them, though they don't know that our blades contain them." Rei continued, "Though, they probably do know something about the Beyblades, since that one did grab it."

"Though," Max said in a hoarse voice. He was laying on Ed, "I want to know if they're originally part of the tournament."

"They're too wild for Boris to control." Kai said, "I don't think that they would follow his orders. They don't seem to be following any order. They just appear and attack."

"Then what about what the Yami Hunters said?" He coughed for a moment.

"You okay, Max?" Tyson asked once he stopped.

Max nodded his head. Rei got up and went over to him, placing his hand on Max's forehead. "You're really cold. We shouldn't risk another fire, but you should stay near it."

Ed got up and walked over to it with Max still in his arms. He sat down closer to the fire. Rei moved back to his spot. "Max did bring up a good point." Kai said, "So far, we haven't seen anything that would suggest that people switch over to some other side."

"Could they have been wrong?" Tyson asked.

"They're normally not wrong about stuff." Rei said, "We probably have been fortunate to not run into what the thing is or were just smart enough to not get switched over."

"So either good luck or dumb luck is saving us." Kai summed up, "I'm not liking those odds."

"Those aren't all that bad of odds." Ed commented.

"They're not good, either." Kai countered, "We weren't taught to rely on our luck alone. We were taught to use our skills to win against our opponents."

"But you don't want to win." Max said, taking a moment to breath, "You just want us to want retreat as quickly as possible."

Kai didn't need to look at Rei to know that he was silent. He looked at Max, who was glaring at him, "What do you see them as?"

He blinked before wrapping the blanket he was using tighter, "They're out to get us just and they don't care what they have to do to have that accomplished. What are you seeing them as?"

"They're creatures, through and through. Are you saying that if a bear happens to be coming charging at you, you would think that it was out to get you?"

"How the hell are the two related?"

"They're both living things…"

"How can they both be living if they don't…"

"You think that just because they're different makes them less alive? I thought that you were an American. Hasn't your country already been through that mess?"

Max held his face, though it was clear that he was angry. Kai got up and walked off somewhere.

"Kai?" Tyson called.

"I won't go far." He said before disappearing. Rei stared at the path that he took as Tyson sighed.

"What do you think you're doing, Max?" Tyson asked, "It isn't helping."

"So I should blindly listen to his will?" Max looked at Tyson.

"Think about it. He's worried about keeping our group together since he's still the leader of this team, but you guys probably forget that he wasn't all that social to being with. He's trying to be social, to be there for us since we don't have Jade or Krypton yelling at us. Then he has to worry about keeping us safe against something he's not sure about. And finally, he has to find Jade and Krypton. He's always been good at keeping his emotions in check, but the pressure might be getting to him as well." Tyson didn't want to say that he was also worrying about Rei, since he could tell that Rei already figured that out as well. "Sure, maybe retreating isn't the best move to make, but it's the safest one to make when we don't know what we're going up against. And maybe, somewhere deep down, he wouldn't want to see them get killed. He doesn't think of them as monsters, but creatures just like anything in our world. Maybe when we get some answers, we'll finally be able to come up with the right move to make."

Max looked away at Tyson, somehow knowing that he was right. When he had faced them all those months ago, he was fighting for his life. To kill them was all in the name of survival. Maybe since he isn't alone, he doesn't have to kill them. Ed rubbed his back and Max smiled, remembering that Ed didn't like to kill things either. He had already seen too much death in his life. "Fine." Max finally said. He closed his eyes, "Good night."

Tyson smiled before Rei got up and went in the direction that Kai went. "Should we stop him?" Kenny asked.

Tyson shook his head, "They have a lot to talk about. You better make sure that your computer survives the night." Tyson said with a smile.

"I'm sleeping with it." Kenny said before wrapping himself better.

"That isn't much different from how you normally sleep." Tyson said with a laugh.

"Kai?" Kai turned around to see something coming his way. "Do you want Byakko out?" Rei asked, though Kai could only make out his outline.

Kai sighed, "I would prefer you in this situation more than Byakko."

Rei came closer, sitting down on the ground next to Kai. Kai was sitting on a boulder, looking into the darkness. "I forgot that you had a lot on your mind. I'm sorry for making it worst."

Kai smiled, "Did Max finally calm down?"

"I think so.. At least, he's willing to be patient with your decisions."

Kai looked up at the sky, not being able to see anything beyond the leaves above, "I wished the moon was out."

Rei smiled, "Want some light?"

"Not really." Rei looked up at him, his eyes seeing through the darkness. "I've been thinking about what that ghost told me. Come home, Kai… It said it in a voice that I knew and my heart ached."

"Maybe your father?" Rei offered.

"I know his voice. I would recognized it in a heartbeat if it was him. No, this was someone different."

"Maybe it was your mother?"

"… I seem to have a doubt about that… Anyway," Kai looked at where Rei was, making him wonder if Kai could see him, "I've noticed that you're not eating properly again. And you're not having any meat."

Rei curled up into a ball. "It might come as a surprise, but I really do hate the idea of killing. A war has my village produce warriors over its years. My father… was killed for that war… I guess that's where my disgust comes from… So, I rather not eat meat for a while, in honoring their deaths." Kai nodded, seeing that he was showing a side that he wouldn't normally show an outsider. "And I guess I'm still scared of what I'll find while here so I'm not eating because of that. To be honest, I didn't realize that I went back to that mode until you just mentioned it."

"Remember, we got your back." Kai smiled, "And you are awesome when it comes to fighting."

Rei looked at him, "You weren't offended that I was higher than you?"

"I already know that." Kai leaned back, "I was never offended. But you were showing Ed that he wasn't going to win, no matter how hard he tired. You really are in a different level when it comes to fighting. And I was glad that you seemed to be having fun." Kai smiled.

Rei nodded, smiling as well. "Thanks… Though, I think that Ed can't use alchemy."

"He used it on you."

"It wasn't his… When I saw Max first use it, Max was the only one that clapped and he had to place his hand on Ed's arm to bring out that same dagger."

"So what was that smile for?"

"Because I knew that they were cheating and I was letting you know that I wasn't going to follow their example."

"Oh." Kai took out all of the weapons that Rei gave him. "Sorry for leaving you defenseless before."

"I wasn't really all that defenseless." Rei said with a laugh, taking them.

"Was that how Byakko and you supposed to merge?"

"Yep! It's really cool, since I could feel a lot of wisdom and power when we do. It's like I could do anything." Rei did feel that way when they merged. It was an amazing feeling. "… Also, I also feel safe when we do."

Kai got off the boulder, "That's good." He looked at him, "Though, I hope that you can get me close to that level."

Rei saw Kai smile, placing a smile on his own face as well, "I'll try my best." Rei got up, "It'll probably take a lot of work." Rei said with a laugh.

"I'm not a slow learner." Kai countered.

"Compare to me, you are."

"I'll show you what I can do. I bet that it won't take me a lifetime."

"A lifetime to get this good, but not a lifetime to get here." Rei corrected.

"Oh, someone trying to be tough?" Kai said with a smile.

"I don't need to try. You're a different story, though. Anyway, we should head back."

Kai nodded, and Rei lead the way back. The fire was still going strong and everyone was asleep. "Wow, Max looks peaceful." Kai commented as they went over to a spot next to Tyson and Kenny. "Are you missing Jinochi?"

"A bit, but he gave me his wok, so I know that he's worried about me." Rei sat down.

Kai put some wood on the fire before joining him, "How was it?"

"I got to learn a lot about him and his friends. They're all really fun people."

"That's cool. Are they going to be coming more often?"

"Probably not. They're not the most respectful people, so they would probably offend by accident."

"Okay." Kai wrapped a blanket around himself and Rei did the same thing. "Should someone keep watch?"

"Yeah… We both could." Rei offered, "I don't want to let Byakko out while the others are around."

"Okay." Kai settled back into the rock. "I hope that the others are okay."

"Same here… Though, they know that we've gotten stronger so they should at least have been training. I'm sure that they're doing alright, like we are."

"Yeah… I wonder about Jade and Krypton as well."

"They're among the strongest here. I'm sure that if anyone can survive here, it's them. After all, their motto is to never lose."

Kai smiled, "Yeah… You're right… The best thing for us to do is to keep going in the safest way possible… Though, how about getting out of here?"

"That's probably the hardest part to figure out. I can't think of something right now."

"Okay.. Maybe you and Max can figure something out, since you were the two that noticed we were in another world."

Rei sighed, "I'll figure something out, though I don't really want to talk to him all that much."

"Once angered, it stays, huh?"

Rei shook his head, "If that was the case, then I would always be angry at my kin."

"They're your kin, so it's a different thing. But, what if a stranger makes you angry?"

"Is that how you think I view everyone?"

Before Kai could answer, they heard a sound in the distance. Kai slowly got up, walking over towards the edge. Rei got up as well, staying where he was as he looked around. "Was it nothing?" Kai asked, though not moving.

"No, something's around." Rei was looking up, "But I can't tell where."

Kai moved back, "Get the others up."

Rei was about to move over towards when something wrapped around him. It tried to pull him towards the woods, but Rei was resisting. Before Kai could go over to help him, something shot a fireball at him. It hit the trees behind them, setting them on fire. "Tyson!" Kai called.

"Huh?" Tyson woke up, seeing what was going on. "Kenny!" He got up, getting Kenny up as well. "Max, Ed, get up!" He looked behind him to see something coming towards them. Before he had time to process what to do, a bubble thing was shot at it. Then, a guy jumped down from the trees and a flying something was near him.

Rei pulled on the vines that bound him, kicking some vegetable thing. Kai looked ahead of him as he started to get up. A man in flames was walking over towards him. Kai started to move back, hearing Max coughing again. He wondered how they were going to get out of this one as the ghost ones appeared again.

And then they're teleported to Hawaii!! They see Jade and Krypton in the distance and they run towards them with an overwhelming joy in their hearts and the start of tears in their eyes. The End. YAY!!! That's the ending they need to have, right? You all agree with me, right? But, now they have a mystery on their hands. Who is this person with a flying creature? Why are they there? I guess we'll just have to wait and see.


	21. Chap 20 The Mystery Man

Tyson feels the breeze as it passes through his hair. He takes a deep breath in, and looks over a hill. Okay, I'm done. So, yeah, they're still in Russia. A guy has appeared into their lives and they're being attacked. Will the guy be their savior or their ultimate enemy? Maybe he's the mastermind behind all of this chaos that they have been going through. Yes, that got to be it! He's the evil mastermind behind the whole thing! It wasn't Boris or Voltaire, but this guy! I finally solve the mystery!!!

The BladeBreakers were being surrounded by the creatures. The flame guy was to their right, the vegetable in front of them, and the ghosts all around them. There was something to their left since something had launched an attack that brought on the newest surprise; the guy that had suddenly appeared next to them. There was a flying creature next to him, and was just as alert as they were.

"Boom Bubble! Pah!" The creature called before expanding his tiny body and shooting a fast bubble out of its mouth. It was aimed at the vegetable, hitting it with a powerful force. It was knocked into a tree, but it wasn't taken out.

The flame guy came running towards them, throwing a fireball. A water wall appeared suddenly, making sure that the flame didn't come near them. Rei looked at Max, seeing that he was having a coughing session. He heard blades launching, turning to see that Tyson and Kai had launched their Beyblades at the fire man.

They did their tornado attack, but around the creature as if trying to take out the fire that is on him. The creature was screaming as it was guarding its face from the wind. He flexed and flames came off his body, landing on the tornado and beyond. Kai and Tyson called their blades back since they didn't want flames to land on their blades. Rei launched at it when it came charging at them, bringing out his staff to keep flame guy a safe distance away. Rei noticed quickly that the creature wasn't a good fighter, but the creature wasn't about to back down. It was like they were forced to fight, and they were going to fight with everything they had. That reminded him that there were ghost around as well, making him weary to make sure that he wasn't ambushed. Though, Rei wondered why they were fighting so fiercely, if they are forced to fight.

Kai looked around, seeing that the creature that came with the guy was now fighting two creatures and the new one was an egg with legs. The guy was still alert, since the ghosts were still around. Kai could feel the pull that they were creating. It was making him remember what happen the last time. Max started to cough again, making Kai worry since he wasn't coughing this much when he and Rei came back. Ed was holding onto him protectively, still carrying him in his arms.

"Boom Bubble!" The creature called again, but this time the attack was powerful enough to make them crash into the trees. The ghosts were stilled for a moment before leaving quietly.

"We have to go, kids." The guy said, turning towards them.

"Rei!" Kai called as they gathered what they could. Rei kicked it on its side, knocking the wind out of it for a moment. He looked to his leg, seeing that it wasn't on fire before backing up and following the mystery guy out of their camp and back into the forest.

Kai and Tyson were behind the guy with their launchers in hand. Rei was behind Ed and Max, who wasn't having any problem running with Max in his arms. Rei noticed that Max was still coughing pretty hard, making him worry since he didn't know why. He looked behind him, seeing that the fire man was coming after them. He was thinking quickly, knowing that they would have to lose him quickly. He stopped quickly and merged with Byakko to lift up the earth around him, causing a mini landslide at the creature. Rei stayed long enough to make sure that it worked.

They followed the guy all over the place. They were going up and down, taking sharp turns and quick burst of runs. Rei was wondering where they were going, and noticing that they weren't taking any particular path. The longer they were following the guy, the wearier they were becoming.

"Stop!" The guy said, holding out a hand in front of them. The team stopped nearly dropped. Everyone was breathing hard, minus Rei. "Is something wrong with him?"

"Who the hell.. are you?" Kai asked as they were recovering.

He gave off a weird smile. "My name is TK!" He said with a big smile. Rei noticed how the smile was, looking away for a moment before going over towards Max and Ed.

"Hey," Rei said gently, "Are you okay?" Max nodded his head, covering his mouth with his hand as another coughing session starting. Rei placed his hand on Max's forehead, feeling that he was cold. "Do we have more blankets?" Rei looked at the others.

"Not that I know of." Kai said, "What's wrong?"

"He's really cold. A fire should be started up again."

Kai nodded, looking at the guy again, "We'll deal with you later, but don't think that this means we trust you." He looked at Tyson and Kenny, "I'll look for some wood and you guys gather as much stuff to get him warmed up."

They nodded and started to go searching for their things. Rei was also doing the same thing, though keeping an eye on the guy. Ed smiled, glad that they all cared this much about Max.

"Do you want me to help?" The guy asked Kai as he started out.

"You're staying in a place where we can watch you." Kai knew that Rei would stop him if he tries something, so he wasn't worried about the group. He walked off as he was taking deep breaths.

It was silent as Kai was collecting the wood. It wasn't helping his nerves that he couldn't see anything. He was trying to be quiet as he possibly could, keeping his mind focus on the task at hand. He didn't want anything to distract him from listening around him. When he gathered all the wood that he could carry, he started to hear something whistling through the trees. Kai was glad that he was able to come up with a way to keep his hands free. He got Dranzer out slowly as he slowly went back the way he came. He set up markings that would be obvious in the dark so he could find his way. He was alert until he was in the circle where everyone could see him. He tried to act like he wasn't scared as he got the fire started, but he didn't know how well it was going.

Once the fire was set up, Rei got to work on cooking up something. Rei was making Max something to sooth his throat and hopefully calm him down. "How are you feeling?" Kai asked as Rei worked.

Max just looked at him, looking very sick as he leaned against Ed. Max didn't really know what was going on around him. He knew that they had to move, but he didn't know why. He knew that everyone was concerned, but he wondered where Rei was. The look on Kai's face told Max that he was very worried before he started to cough again.

"Here." Rei said as he went over to Max and Ed. Kai moved aside so that Rei could do his thing. "Max, you need to drink this." Rei said soothingly. As soon as he stopped coughing, Rei moved his hands and placed the cup near his mouth. Max slowly drank it, noticing how warm it was in his mouth. It was helping a lot, it seemed. He looked at Rei, seeing him smiling. "It's working. I get you another cup when you're done with this, okay?"

Max smiled as he nodded his head. Rei handed the cup to Ed so that Max could finish it up as he got another cup ready. Kai sighed in relief, glad to hear that everything was going okay for Max. "Should Max sleep?" Kai asked, knowing that they had another issue to deal with.

"The medicine won't put him to sleep, but if he thinks he should, then he should." Rei said as he went back over to Max, "Max, we got a new guy with us. He helped us escape the last encounter with those creatures. Do you want to hear what's going on or do you want to sleep? I'll tell you what was told in the morning, okay?" He took the cup from Ed as Rei handed him the next.

"I'm fine." Max said in a whispery voice and with a smile, "I want to listen in. I'll rest after that, okay?"

"What do you want to know?" Kai asked.

"Name and why he helped us." Max looked at him. "I'll get everything else when I wake up."

Kai looked at the man, "Name and why you helped us, now!"

The guy looked disappointed before taking a moment to clear his throat, "My name is TK."

"And my name is Patamon! We're here to find two people." The creature said with a smile.

Everyone was shocked that it talked, but only Rei noticed that that reaction was what they both were aiming for. "That doesn't explain why you're helping us. That only explains why you're in this forest." Rei pointed out, being the only one that was able to get over the shock.

"We're superheroes!" TK said, both of them striking a pose before standing again, "It's what we do."

Rei looked at Max, "Is that enough for you?"

Max nodded, glad that Rei was really concern for him, "Yeah, thanks." He finished off his drink and cuddled next to Ed more. Rei merged with Byakko a bit to move Ed closer to the fire.

"Is he going to be okay?" Ed asked as Rei got up.

"Tomorrow will give us the right answer. The best thing for him now will be to rest and stay as warm as possible."

Ed nodded, "I'll listen in as well."

Rei nodded, looking back at the guy, "Are you working for the sponsors of this tournament?"

"Nope!" TK said with a smile.

"Then there's no sense in getting us all colds, so come by the fire." Rei said with a sigh, heading over to sit next to Ed.

Everyone else followed, with Kai the closest one to the guy and the talking creature. Tyson was one the other side of Ed and Kenny was next to Rei. Kai was nearest to Tyson, but somehow didn't feel all that threatened by this man. He couldn't put his finger on it, but he knew somewhere in his heart that this guy was okay. Though, it was odd since it took about this long for him to trust his teammates completely like his does now. The only reason he knows he can trust Ed is because of Max.

"Okay, what is that creature?" Tyson asked finally.

"I will not allow you to call me 'that creature'. We have some dignity to us as well." Patamon said.

"What are you?" Kenny asked.

"I'm the same as those creatures that we were fighting off." Patamon said.

"Though, unlike them," TK said in an unusual tone than he was using before, "Patamon is my lifetime partner in crime." He smiled, but it wasn't in the same way as it was before.

"Those creatures don't seem to be able to be tamed." Ed commented.

"The ones that we fought, and the ones that you will fight, are ones that are being controlled by someone else. We're here to free them of their imprisonment."

"Who's controlling them?"

"It's someone that is old and of their world as well. He has existed since the beginning of my own journey, and apparently much longer. He has been able to find a way to control many of the creatures to do his work for him. Though, fortunately it can only take affect when they are in our world."

"We're still in our world?" Tyson asked. "I thought we walked through some portal to get here. We couldn't even get to the place where we started."

TK blinked before Patamon sighed, "He meant that this world is part of your world and mine. It's more of your world than ours, since it's more connected to your world than mine."

"So you're saying that we're in a world that's in-between the two?" Kai asked.

"Yeah, basically. There are many worlds like that, each loosely linked to other worlds and even more loosely connected to my world."

"Why does that seem a little hard to swallow?" Kenny asked, "That would mean that there are parallel worlds and other dimensions and ways for particles to move between each other. Like all the stuff you would read in science fiction stories."

"In fact," TK interrupted, "it's more like that than you realize. The shift in atoms and you're in another world. But, it's also more complex than that, but a lot harder to explain. I only understand it because I've met people who have traveled to other worlds that were parallel to our own and heard their stories. I've also had to learn about the more complex side, for various reasons."

"We're not going anywhere, unless we're attacked." Rei pointed out.

TK smiled, "Perhaps at a different time and setting. The subject is a bit hard to swallow, especially for kids."

"I'm not a kid!" Ed said in a soft yell.

"You're not?" TK blinked and the same with Patamon.

That got Ed's blood boiling, "I'm nineteen."

"Oh, sorry." TK gave an apagogic smile, "I was told that this tournament was only for kids."

"Which means that you didn't wander into this forest by accident, did you?" Rei pointed out quickly. "How did you get in without someone spotting you, and so far into the forest?"

"The security was nonexistent so that prove to be the easiest part."

"There were people all around the area when we entered. Are you saying that they weren't guards?"

"That's right. They weren't familiar with each other and they weren't all that cautious about letting us wander right in."

"Then how did you get so far in?"

"I have a map!" He held it up. Rei noticed that it looked nothing like the map that Neith had. "I'm trying to get to the center, since that seems to be the focus point to all of this mess."

"We're heading there too." Tyson pointed out. "Though, there are supposed to be teams with maps of the area."

"And I guess you guys weren't given one?"

"Yeah, though we're hoping that the other teams that we know did get one."

"The ghost creatures are called Bakumon and they're not around for no reason." He said with a sigh, "I'm glad that none of you were caught, but I've already seen Jade and Krypton being taken by them…"

"You know Jade and Krypton?" Everyone asked, including Ed. "What do you mean, taken?" Kai asked next, "What happened to them?" There was a genuine fear in his eyes that he wasn't allowing to appear anywhere else.

TK looked sad for a moment, "The person I'm after has them now, I'm afraid."

"The best thing to do right now is rest." Rei said before Kai moved. "If we don't have the strength to fight, we're no good to them."

Kai looked into the fire, angry at himself that he could do nothing. "How do you know their names?" Kai asked after a moment.

"We're here to find them."

"How do you know them?" Kai looked at him, not letting the hate out of his eyes.

Rei noticed how sad both of them looked when Kai gave them that look. Somehow, it reminded him of how Seto Kaiba was eyeing him funny all those months ago. Did this guy also know something about Kai's past? "I can't tell…"

"What the hell do you mean?" Kai asked, more anger in his eyes than before. Rei remembered that Kai now thought of them as family since he never went back home. "What the hell do you mean you can't tell us?"

"Secrets.." Before TK could even finish his sentence, Rei had to jump in before Kai did something to him. Rei had to keep Kai's hands planted on the ground so that he wouldn't get up from his sitting position. He was really glad that Kai wasn't about to struggle with him like Jade did a few days ago.

"Secrets?!" Kai yelled, his eyes telling you he was beyond mad, "Their lives could be at risk and all you care about is protecting your damn secrets?!" Everyone else knew that Kai was thinking of something to say. Everyone knew, with maybe the exception of Ed, that Jade and Krypton didn't want their past to be known. This guy seemed to have those answers.

TK got up, though he wasn't looking at anyone, "I'll be over there for a while. I won't leave and I won't be out of your sights. If you want me back over here, please send someone over to retrieve me." He looked at Kai with a sorrowful expression, "I'm sorry, but I can't tell you how I know them just yet." He and Patamon went a bit away from the camp. Rei was the only one able to see him through the thick darkness.

"Damn it!" Kai yelled as he lowered his head to the ground. Rei let go of his hands, knowing that he wasn't going to do something more. "Can you see them?" He asked without raising his head.

"Yeah, I can still see them. They're not all that far, but it's hard to see them normally because of low visibility."

"You scared me for a moment there, Kai." Tyson said with a sigh. "I thought you were really going to hurt the guy."

"Why do you think I grabbed his arms?" Rei asked, "Kai was going to do something… And if I was in Kai's position, I would probably do the same thing."

"We all want to know them better…" Kenny said. "So I guess nothing new came up while you were living with them."

"Nothing." Kai said, grabbing some dirt, "They didn't tell me anything new. I knew how sensitive they are about their past… I didn't want to be locked out forever…" Kai hit the ground, hating how a stranger was able to hold so much information about the people he loved the most, the most important people he now wanted to protect. He hit the ground harder so that he wouldn't cry at the failure he was now.

Everyone just let Kai be in his silence. Rei could see that Ed understood what Kai was displaying, so he wasn't at a total lost. Just how much did Max trust this guy? Rei then noticed how trusting Kai was being. It was probably because Max had his back that Kai could trust him. But this other guy was a different matter. Kai hadn't turned his back to him, hadn't branded him a person that they couldn't rely on in the future. Will that view change tomorrow?

Tyson hated how gloomy it was getting. Sure, his partner could be angst at times, but nothing like this. Though, Tyson knew that it was more of deeper emotions that Kai was hurting. He remembered that Kai was willing to run out into the snow to follow them. He recalled how panic struck Kai was when Kai opened the door to his room with a slam. He looked like he had been lost, and he looked like he was about to lose his mind. He then remembered the Shadow game penalty that Kai suffered. That he would live his worst fear, or something like that. The look in Kai's eyes as he came out of that illusion was the same look he held that night. Tyson looked at his partner, wondering what torment he was suffering alone. "So, should we trust this guy? If he isn't giving us what we need to hear, then should we keep him around? What if he's just a guy that Boris or your grandfather hired to trick us? They obviously know that we're here."

"If they have those creatures working for them, I'm sure they wouldn't need someone to trick us." Kenny said. "Though, it's your call, Kai."

"You've been silent for a while, Ed." Kai said, though not looking up, "What do you think Max would say and what's your opinion?"

Rei noticed that Ed was taken back yet again at how welcoming Kai was being. He wondered what kind of picture Max had given him of Kai. "I think that we should air on the side of caution. I've taught Max about the principles of Equivalent Exchange, which states that nothing is gained without giving something up in return."

"So," Kenny jumped in, "we should side on caution because we don't know what safety we would be giving up if we trust him completely?"

"That's right. I've met my fair share of people who seem to be trustworthy on the first appearance, but turn out to be your enemy or the villainous mastermind. But, on the same token, I've also met people who were at first appearance enemies, but then came to be allies because I came to understand them."

"So we should give him time to know which one he is?" Tyson summed up, "But we don't have that time. It's not like we have a few years for him to give us his life story."

"But there are ways to investigate someone." Rei said.

"How? We don't even know all that much about him, except for his name, which could be false." Kenny said. "There's no way for us to get that information."

"Well, there are many layers of seeing. People with secrets talk in a way that tells you want they know without ever saying the words. Then there are ways that you can pick up on clues to get you closer to the truth. I'm not an expert on it, since I learned it all from a show, but I do believe that it can be done."

"We could all go to him and see if we can get particular information from him." Tyson offered, wanting to get involved, "Like, we each pick topics to look into and go over to ask him."

"I guess that would be the only way to go about it. But, obviously, they would have to be discrete and you would have to ask in a way that only you would know the meaning of the answer." Rei said.

"And we should take intervals for when we ask him." Kenny offered, "So we can store what we know on my laptop and analysis it later when Max is up."

"What do you think, Kai? Maybe we can get him to slip on something." Tyson looked at his partner, hoping that this would make him feel better.

"Alright, it's worth a shot." Kai looked up, "Ed, would you mind staying back since we need Max to get better. I don't want to move him since he would have moments when he would be in the cold."

Ed nodded, "I was going to suggest it myself. Though, why are you guys interested in hearing what Max has to say about this?"

"Well, for one, he's our teammate." Tyson said, "And we've come to learn that it's a lot better to hear all the opinions of our teammates since we've all got something to say about anything."

"Plus, we don't really want to leave him out of the loop." Kenny said.

"If we learn anything about Jade and Krypton, I'm sure his mom would want to hear of it, since she was so interested in them before." Kai said.

"And we all know how good he is as a strategist." Rei said with a smile, "He was even able to beat Kai twice, and once when he didn't have Draciel with him."

"He never mentioned that you guys use him as a strategist." Ed said.

"We would never use him, but we also never seen it in motion until now." Tyson said.

"According to Rei, Max has been able to see through loop holes in our battle attacks and they have been slowly working towards getting their perfected." Kai said. They don't talk about what the other side is planning, since that would ruin the fun of those matches, but they do talk about everyone's progress.

"Wait, you haven't been giving secret information to Rei, have you?" Tyson asked, eyeing Kai suspiciously.

"Why would I ever do that? We're the ones that started this whole thing."

Tyson kept eyeing him the same way, making Rei laugh. "I promise that Kai didn't. The only thing we talked about considering that was how everyone was improving and show talents we didn't realize we had."

"Really? Like what?" Kenny asked.

"Well, we already said that Max is a great strategist, but he's also good at analyzing quickly."

"That's all thanks to the training that I gave him." Ed said with pride.

"Tyson was getting better at smooth transitions in his grandfather's form of kendo." Kai said, "That transfer into a Beybattle in many ways, from not wasting movements while in middle of battle and not stopping to think all that much when something unexpected happens. I do have to say that even I started to use some of it, since I noticed how valuable it was." Kai said, smiling at Tyson. Tyson grinned back, glad to hear that it was noticed what he was doing. "Rei has also been getting better at controlling his awesome powers and fighting techniques. He has been able to calculate just how much would be needed and adjust with each blow. Also, he has been getting a lot quicker with his response."

"So, with Max's quick analogical skills and my ability to follow through any plan he comes up with, we do make a really awesome team." Rei said with a smile, "And Kai has been getting a lot better able everything. In all areas, he has been learning from all of us and adapting it to suit him. Though, the one spot where he got all of us beat is his creativity." Rei looked at Kai, "He's able to come up with a new attack style just by watching something take action in front of him. Not many can do that, and I should know. I fought a lot of good opponents when I left my village."

Kai knew that was true. A few of their new attacks came from him watching birds while walking around with Jade or Rei, but they also came from other places too. Kai looked at Kenny, "You're skills have improved too, since you were able to come up with great launchers for both Tyson and Rei and I'm sure you already have designs of new Beyblades for everyone that you wanted to run by Jade and Krypton, right?"

Kenny paused for a moment before nodding, "I thought that they would object, so I was going to wait for the right moment to show them. Though, I guess I have to analyze Max a bit more before I can get his Beyblade and launcher right."

"You just leave that part to us." Ed said, "We're able to come up with designs of our own."

"I guess you would be better at knowing what he would need… So, what are we going to do about TK and Patamon?" Kenny looked at Kai.

"Do you want to go ask him questions?" Kai asked.

"Wouldn't too many be over doing it?"

"Not when we want to know… but I guess he would catch on quicker if we send too many… I already know that Rei and I are going to ask him questions, do you want to help too, Tyson?" He looked over towards his partner.

"You bet!" Tyson said with a smile. "I'll go first, so what should I ask?" Tyson got up from his spot.

"What are you going to do with the information we gather?" Rei asked Kai.

"Decide if he should come back to the fire or not… I'm sure that if we don't trust them that they would be fine on their own…"

Rei nodded before looking at Tyson, "How about if you ask about the creatures?"

"Sure, though when do I stop?"

"When you sense that you should, though also don't drag it out. If he doesn't answer a question, then move on to something else."

"Right." Tyson said before heading over to where they went, hoping that he was going the right way. The creature and the guy were fighting each other as if they were sparing. They stopped when Tyson was close enough to see them.

"You want to ask something?" TK asked, both of them stopping to look at him.

"I was wondering if you could tell me about the creatures we've been running into. I mean, we've been ambushed twice and randomly attack twice already in one day and they're all so diverse from each other."

They looked at each other before TK smiled, "Alright, what do you want to know?"

"Um.. How about why you need to partner up with one of them?"

TK closed his eyes and smiled with a sweet memory, "It's our destiny." TK looked at him, "Being partners has been what we were born to do. There are other people that had the same destiny as me, but they have other creatures as their lifetime partners…"

"That's awesome!" Tyson said with excitement, reminding him of his partnership with Dragoon. "What does this destiny have you do?"

"Well, we have to defeat my world from all the evil that can occur within it." Patamon said, "We also prevent my fellow creatures from entering into your world so that there isn't mass confusion and lose. We're a very powerful species that can hardly be matched by anything Earth has."

"So, in other words, you guys keep the world safe?"

"Yep! Give the hat kid a prize!"

That reminded Tyson that they were impolite about giving their names in return, "Why are you guys so diverse?"

"Think of us as animals from your world. We all evolved in a way that allows us to survive in our own unique environments."

"Is that bubble attack the only thing you're able to do?"

"In this form, yeah."

"This form?"

"We're able to evolve into stronger creatures. There are many levels that we can obtain and stay at if we wish it. We all have our own unique ways of reaching those levels, but most get it through winning battles with each other. The way that I get it is through TK since he's like my energy source that supplies me just enough to reach those levels without having to fight other creatures. I only fight in order to protect, since that's where my abilities really shine."

"Awesome. Do you fight all the battles when it comes to the other creatures?"

"Depends on the situation," TK answered, "since I might have something else that I need to take care of so I have to let Patamon fight. Or, if it's only fair that Patamon fights since they're both creatures. Whenever I can, I try to help out."

"That's totally awesome! Thanks for answering my questions and my name is Tyson." Tyson headed back to the others before stopping. He remembered that they weren't allowed to kill the creatures because of Rei. He wondered if they were similar to them in the fact that they can't come back. "Oh," he turned towards them, "what happens to them when they are killed?"

"They get turned into an egg. It's the lowest form that they can have and all the creatures return to it when they die." TK smiled at Tyson and Tyson instantly noticed that something was happening because of that smile, "But, that doesn't mean that when they do die that it's not sad. Some of them don't have their former memories, some do. So, even if they do get reborn, there is a high chance that they would forget what they were before. Have you been killing them?"

"We only killed one before we decided that it wasn't right."

TK smiled again, "I'm glad, because they are living creatures with precious lives that shouldn't be taken without a good reason."

Tyson nodded, liking the feeling that he just suddenly got inspired. He went back on his way, really glad that it was easy to find his way back. "I think I got good information."

"So, tell us." Kenny said as he opened his laptop.

"Well, according to him, he and Patamon are partners because it's their destiny. There are also other people that are like them as well. The way he put it reminded me of us with our Bit Beast, so that's probably the easiest way to explain it. Oh, and I didn't tell him that part, since I know that we have to be weary.

"Anyway, they have to defend both our world and Patamon's world from evil, though I'm not sure what kinds. They also prevent the creatures from entering into our world so that we don't have to face them and worry about being killed off or worst.

"They're similar to our animals, since there is diversity with them because of their location, though they defer by the fact that they can evolve and I guess devolve to different levels of power. Normal creatures had to fight in order to reach other levels, but Patamon cuts that part out because TK is his source of energy when he evolves.

"TK also helps Patamon fight when it is needed." Tyson finished up.

"So that means that the journey that TK mentioned before was probably their trial and error times." Rei summed up, "And probably on that journey, they had learned about Jade and Krypton and about other worlds."

"What about their deaths?" Kenny asked.

"He said that they are living creatures so we should treat them as if taking their lives is our last resort. Though, they do have a form in which they all return to when killed so they're not gone forever. TK did say, though, that there is a chance that they don't remember their former lives when they emerge again."

"Since they're living creatures, we'll continue to treat them as such and continue to deal with them in a matter that doesn't involve killing them." Kai finalized. He closed his eyes, glad that they had only taken one. He looked at Tyson, "Anything else?"

"That's all I asked about. Though, when I went up to them, they seem to be sparing."

"I'll measure how strong they are, as well as other things." Rei said, getting up. "Should I go over?" He looked at Kai.

Kai shook his head, "Not yet."

Rei sat down, "Something bugging you?"

"I just want it to appear like we're going up to him on our own. I don't want him to think that this is some kind of plan thing, otherwise we might not get the truth."

Rei nodded, "Good idea.. When are you going to decide?"

"When I talked to him… you'll know the answer if he comes back with me."

"Oh, I also told him my name." Tyson said. "So, wherever you're done, you should do the same."

"Why did you?" Rei asked, "I mean, it's not a bad thing, but I'm curious."

"He gave us his name. I thought that it was only fair… Also… I was getting inspired by him as well.." Tyson said shyly.

"How so?" Kai asked.

"I don't know… I mean, it wasn't like he was saying that I could do anything. I'm not even sure what I got inspired about, but I could feel it."

"Did he ask why you ask about their death?" Rei asked.

"He smiled and said that he was glad that we only killed one."

"Sounds like he had experience in such things too…"

"What makes you think that?" Ed asked.

"Because once you take a life, it stays with you for a long time unless you're twisted. I've seen it before." Kai noticed that it was a memory that pained him greatly, though he wasn't sure how deeply everyone else could see it. Kai looked at Ed, to see that Ed also had similar experience, by the look in his eyes.

"I'm sure he sees us in the same light." Kai said, trying to help Ed since it would also go to Max. "He does know what we decided, right?" He looked at his partner.

He nodded, "That's why he smiled."

"Maybe you should ask about that." Kai looked at Rei, "See if he had to kill before."

"So you want him to know that we talked about their conservation?"

"I'm sure that you can bring it up without it seeming like it." Kai said with a smile. "Should now be a good amount of time?"

"I'll wait a bit more. Should I see if he had killed something or killed the creatures?"

"He said that he didn't have to fight them all that much." Tyson said, "Patamon did most of the fighting, though he said that he would if it was needed."

"Maybe he's seen it before." Ed said, "Or was there to witness it occurring. That could be worth asking."

Rei nodded, "And I have to make it seem like this never happen. Shouldn't be too hard."

Kai didn't like how Rei was now treating it. Did he make him do something that he didn't want to do? "If you can't, that's okay." Rei looked at him, "If you need to tell the truth, go ahead. I mean, I'm not even sure that the façade would work, so if it seems like you're cornered, tell him the truth."

Rei raised an eyebrow before smiling and shaking his head, "If that happens, I'll do so, but I don't think I'll get caught."

"Well, if you don't feel right about it either, then don't lie."

Rei nodded with a smile, "I'll go now." Rei got up and headed over.

"What's up?" Tyson asked once they couldn't hear Rei.

"He looked like he was being forced to do something that he didn't want to do. That or I was saying something that brought up something."

"Why do you think that?" Ed asked.

"It's the way that he laughed at it. It just didn't feel right."

"Kai has seen Rei in situations which we haven't and we do know he does act differently depending who's around him." Tyson explained, "None of us knows him greatly, but Kai is better at spotting it than we are."

Rei walked up to TK and Patamon, seeing that they were still sparing. Rei wasn't making a sound as he was coming up on them, so that he could observe for a while. They weren't just randomly fighting each other. There was a structure to it. They were using a form that Rei didn't know, and it didn't seem to have anything that was familiar to him. He knows that forms change over time and that different people change it from dojo to dojo. This was making Rei really curious about this form. Rei then made a noise, having them immediately look in his direction. They relaxed when they saw it was him.

"Sorry, we didn't hear you coming." TK said.

"That's okay. Do you mind if we spar? I'm a fighter myself." Rei asked with a smile.

TK and Patamon looked at each other, "Sure." TK smiled.

"We are going up against the creatures." Rei pointed out, seeing that he wasn't thinking about letting Patamon join in.

"Do you want us to go easy on you?" Patamon asked.

"You can determine that when we spar."

"Okay, come over here and we'll start." TK said.

Rei went over towards them, getting into a stance before launching at them. In the first contact, Rei could tell that they were holding a lot back. In the second, they had both adjusted their power to compensate what they found with the first. Every contact he had with TK was just confirming and adjusting for both of them. Rei noticed that he was getting him to go higher than he would normally go. During the middle, like around the two hundredth contact, Rei remembered about Patamon. He then went into focusing on him too while still pushing TK. Patamon was just in the air, not moving.

Around the five hundredth mark, TK stopped the sparing. "You're really good." He said with a smile, "Though, you should have a go with Patamon just by himself."

"Patamon didn't even jump in." Rei pointed out.

"Didn't get a chance. So, how about it?"

"Sure." Rei decided that he would ask stuff later, since he should get a feel for it. Patamon replaced TK and they went at it again. They started at the same level that Rei and TK stopped, but Rei noticed that there was still a power struggle going on with them too. They were still adjusting, still trying to find the common ground. Rei was noticing that it was some different about this one, though. He noticed that Patamon was trying to trick him as they went up, something that Rei was familiar with. He knew that sometimes it isn't about strength, but cunning as well. Were they testing him?

"Okay, that's good." TK said and they both stopped. Rei was glad that he wasn't getting tired, though was worried that Patamon was in the same state.

"Thanks." Rei said with a smile. "What form were you guys practicing? When I walk in on you guys."

TK smiled to himself at some memory, "It's a form that we came up. Did you like it?"

"It had nothing that I've seen before."

"You're very young." Pointing out that he probably didn't know a lot of forms as it is. "Though, you are very good."

"I like martial arts and I have met talented masters that have shown me a lot of forms."

"Quick mind as well. That's good to have, especially with these creatures." Patamon said. "All the creatures have a set amount of attacks that they can do."

"Sounds like you want us to do them in." Rei was glad that he could get that in without help. "Have you had to do so before?"

Patamon went over to TK, landing on his head, "Evil creatures, we had. Patamon was taken from me once… It had become a big deal for other reasons. So, it became a rule for us to not kill them without a good cause."

"How do you define what a 'good cause' is?" Rei asked, wanting to know.

TK smiled, "That's the most important thing to ask. What defines you the right to take away a life and what makes you a killer? Our motives were redefined with each new creature because they each have their own reasons and motives for going after you."

"So we have to see if we have that right… What about for revenge? I mean, I know that we don't have any right currently."

TK walked over to Rei and placed his hand on his shoulder. Rei noticed that Tyson was talking about, "The way you know if it's right to take their life is placing a human in their place. If a human did the same thing, would you take their life? That's how you know if it's right."

Rei nodded, "That's a good judgment."

"Good. Oh, do you know of a swordsman that lives on a hill with a forest on one side and the ocean on the other?"

Rei blinked for a moment, "I've heard of such a person."

"I know him as well. Sage Date is his name. He trained me and Patamon for a long time."

Rei realized that they were okay. After all, he knows that his students should be wise students, at the very least. But, it wasn't his decision to make on whether to trust him. Rei smiled, "I got the impression that he was a very wise and virtuous man. I hope that all his students are the same. My name is Rei." Rei headed back towards everyone. He was glad to have heard that. He was starting to worry that maybe that he would have to take their live for something. Though, if anything happens to Kai, Rei might just have to.

Rei laughed at himself, knowing that he wasn't really all that satisfied with how nothing was settled with Patamon and TK. He knew that they weren't at their best, but Rei was getting them there. Rei knew that they were holding a lot back, and it was getting Rei that he didn't know how he compared. It was settling well with Rei, and it was making him laugh since this is how Jade and Krypton would respond. In fact, this is how they responded once.

"How did it go?" Kenny asked.

Rei sat down next to Kai, "They're stronger than me, I think." Rei admitted to them, though it pained his ego to do so.

"You spend most of it fighting them?" Tyson asked.

"They were using a form that I have never seen before and it wasn't connected to anything that I've seen."

"And you know a lot of forms, I bet." Kai said, knowing it to be true. "Can you see if it was connected to something?"

"Even if it's a changed form from something, or people came up with it on their own, it all comes from somewhere. I can at least see that connection, but not the linage of how it got to the final form."

"And it wasn't connected to anything you learned?"

"Or seen."

"I can see how that makes them amazing. Did you get to see them at full strength?"

"No, we never reached a place where they were above me. We were always adjusting our power with each blow. I was trying to get Patamon higher, though it didn't work."

"Did it ever get serious?" Tyson asked. "I know that you can get serious even when sparing." There were times that Kai had called off their matches because of Rei, though it was never mentioned that it was Rei. Tyson only knew because he knew how Rei fought and he did ask the next morning.

"No, not that I could tell. Though, TK did call it off both times, so maybe they were seeing something that I wasn't… And the first time I fought them, it was supposed to be both of them, but Patamon stepped in. They could've held back for a reason."

"Maybe it was something on their side too." Kai pointed out, "Something that they only saw."

"I guess that could be it." Rei thought over, knowing that's how Kai saved him a bunch of times. "They killed evil creatures and he lost Patamon. The issue of killing in general became an issue later in their journey, so that probably means that they got a solid idea on what it means to kill them."

"Did you ask?" Ed asked.

"They said that we would have to put a human in the place of the creature. If we could kill a human for the same act, then it's reasonable."

"Which goes back to treating them like a living being." Tyson added.

Rei nodded, "It also seems like the situation over the life and death was more than one occasion."

"They could've lost many lives." Tyson suggested. That reminded Kai about Jade and Krypton. They lost their relatives, making them into the people they are today. Kai knew that the lost of life changes people. Did killing the creatures leave a deep mark as well?

"Kai," Kai looked at Rei, since he whispered, "do they know about the kendo?"

Kai nodded, "That you went somewhere to get help."

Rei nodded, "TK told me that he knows the person that I went to go see." Rei told everyone, which kinda surprised Kai, but made him glad. "Max, I'm going to assume, told you about it."

"Yeah, he did." Ed said.

"Though, what does that mean?" Kenny asked.

"Well, I know that this person is very trustworthy and wise and virtuous. TK said that they trained under him, so he probably is a good guy. But, I'm only letting you know for your judgment. I'm not saying that being his student should make him automatically a good person, since a student can have a different mindset than their master." Rei looked at Kai at the end.

Kai nodded, "I'm going to take my own opinion when I talk to him, though I will take your observations into consideration. Did you give him your name as well?"

Rei nodded, "It is only fair."

Kai nodded, before looking at Ed and Kenny, "Do you want your own introductions?"

"I'm fine with you telling my name." Kenny said.

"Ed?"

"I'll do ours, if he comes."

Kai nodded, "Though, we won't have this discussion with mine."

"I'll leave my laptop on." Kenny said, "We'll be asleep to make it seem like we never had this. If he ask, just say that you wanted to check some data that I collected. And only put key words that would make you remember."

"Someone would have to stay awake, since it would say that we trust him or we're not worry." Rei said.

"Good point." Kai said, "So, when I leave, everyone will decide who that will be. I'll use Dizzy to remind myself what we talked about so everyone will know. Do we take shifts?"

"Only if Tyson wants to get up." Rei said as a joke.

"How about if the watchman can't stay up?" Tyson suggested. "For tonight, I mean. We'll come up with a better system when we know how Max is doing."

Kai nodded, "How has he been, anyway?" He looked at Ed.

"Hasn't stirred, though he's still cold."

"Do you have an idea what's going on?"

He shook his head, "No. I wish I did."

Kai nodded, "Okay." Kai took in a breath quietly, "Rei, did you enjoy sparing with them?"

"Yeah, it was a lot of fun." Rei smiled, "And I hate to admit, but it also leaves a bad taste in my mouth that I couldn't see how far I was compare to them and see if I could actually beat them."

"Would you see, if given the chance?"

"Probably… though I should keep it in check. I don't want to be a fighting fiend."

"You won't be." Kai smiled softly. Kai got up, "My turn." He said as he went over towards the forest.

"Who wants to keep watch?" Rei asked.

"I'm heading to bed." Kenny said, "We can't have our reasoning fail." He pulled out some blanket and curled it around him, sleeping in a sitting position.

"You should get some sleep." Rei said to Ed. "Are you going to follow Kenny or lay down?"

"Same as Kenny." Ed said. Tyson got up and placed a blanket over his shoulders. Tyson grabbed some more blankets, handing one to Rei.

"I think Kai would like you to keep him company."

Rei took the blanket, "It's not like we know each other all that well."

"I know." Tyson sat down, "But, I know that he knows that you are able to watch his back better than most of us."

"That doesn't mean that none of you can."

Tyson sighed, "If Kai comes back troubled, you're the best person to help him. And the same thing goes for you. When you're troubled, Kai is the best person to help you."

"You really think so?"

Tyson nodded, "Yeah, and I don't mind. I know that it's because you got Kai to care openly about the rest of us."

"That only shows why I'm good for him."

"Kai doesn't let those people go." Tyson smiled, "I know that when we were all here last, that he was trying to get rid of us because we were reminding him of the path he wanted to be on." He wrapped the blanket around him, "Besides all that, we can all see how worry he is about you and that's the only way for us to see that there is something wrong."

Rei smiled, knowing that's true, "Okay, I'll stay up."

Tyson nodded and laid on the ground, "Wake me up if you need me."

As Kai was walking over to TK and Patamon, Kai could feel that something was happening. It was like he needed to see what was going on around him in a different light. Kai stopped for a moment to look around. He didn't feel like there was something around him, though he thought there was something about the darkness that was there. He put his hand to his chest, remembering what he remembered he felt all those years ago.

He went back to walking, seeing that TK was looking off into the forest with Patamon on his head. Kai didn't know why, but TK seemed like a candle. He wasn't shining or anything, but he does seem like a light. He looked behind him, to see Kai. Kai still didn't feel threaten, and it was bugging him, "Hey."

Kai sat down beside him. Patamon flew into his lap and Kai subconsciously started to pet him. Kai didn't know why, though, "Don't worry. I'm not here to ask about Jade and Krypton."

"How are you guys connected to them?"

"They were our coaches before they became our friends." Kai decided that he would keep his personal relationship with them a secret still. "I had some trouble with my own family so I've come to live with them." Kai decided that he would explain why he was the most troubled with not knowing.

"I guess that means you're the closest to them. I'm sorry."

"It's alright." Kai smiled a bit, "I got into a fight with them before they left this morning, so I'm worried that it's my fault that they came in."

"I guess that's the way they grew up." TK looked ahead. "I've known them since they were kids, but I lost in touch with their parents a long time ago."

"How did you know that they were here?"

"I also know Kaiba." TK smiled.

"So he sent you?"

"Yeah, I was supposed to look after them and bring them back home. He told me that he couldn't gain their trust so he wanted me to."

"I don't think they would trust you so easily."

"My unique connection to them is how they would trust me." TK smiled. "You have a good ban with you, though. Are you the leader or is the nineteen boy the leader?"

"I'm the leader."

"I'm glad that they had gained loyal friends. How were they?"

"They were great people. Cold at first, but they warmed up to us. They also have a home back in Japan. Krypton was able to captivate a lot of people so that they respect him, and Jade was able to stay kind so that they loved her. They're both very smart and Jade knows how to control Krypton. It makes all of our days to see them smile."

"I'm glad to hear that." TK smiled softly. He laid his head against the tree he was leaning against.

"Were you watching us when we were in trouble?"

"Kinda. I knew that there were going to be groups of kids in this forest, though I thought that after a whole day you would at least have someone guarding you guys. I was planning on leaving when you and Rei came back, but decided to stay."

"Why?" Kai looked at him.

"It looked like you two were going to sleep." Patamon said.

Kai guessed that they probably did look like that, wrapped in their blankets. "What is wrong with that one friend? The one that was coughing." TK asked.

"We don't even know. All we do know is that he's very cold."

"That's not a good thing, especially in this country. Was he like that before he left?"

"Not that I know of. The last time he slept, he was fine." Kai then remembered that he was even outside with Rei and Max was fine. He wished he knew what was wrong.

"I guess you have a lot on your mind."

"That's only the tip of it." Kai said honestly before looking at him, "Why don't I feel like I can't trust you?"

TK blinked, "So you trust me?"

Kai didn't want to admit it yet, "I don't feel threatened by you and I don't feel that you pose a threat to my team."

TK chuckled, "I never thought that we were being tested so much. I guess it's because we have a lot of pure hope for goodness and peace."

"That doesn't sound like a good reason to me." Kai said, somehow thought it was funny.

"Were Tyson and Rei seeing if we could be trusted?" Patamon asked.

"Maybe." Kai didn't want their plan to be fully seen, "They just wanted to know something that they were curious about. I'm the only one that wants to know if we can trust you."

"Rei is a good fighter." TK said, "I'm sure that he probably doesn't feel right about not finishing the sparing."

"Why makes you think that?" Kai wanted it to seem like they weren't talking about it.

"It's a feeling that I'm getting."

"More like you're not satisfied with it." Patamon said, though Kai noticed that there was a certain tone that Patamon had.

TK rubbed his head, "You weren't either." TK said in a childish tone.

"Would you fight him if given the chance?" Kai asked, wanting to know. He could see that Rei would want that, since he probably wasn't going all out.

"Fight or spar?" TK asked.

"There's a difference?"

"Fighting would imply that we would have no hold backs and there is a goal at the end of fight that we're both trying to obtain. Sparing would imply that we go at it for however long we want, but it isn't for a goal and we can hold back. Sparing is training and fighting is battling."

"Which one would you be comfortable doing?" Rei figured that since Rei sparred with him that this answer would give Rei some insight to them.

"Sparring. I don't mind fighting, but I need to keep certain emotions in check and fighting can easily bring those out."

"Unique to you only?"

He nodded, "Yeah. I have a condition that is dangerous when out of hand. I've learned to keep it in check, but I know that I can lose control if I don't watch it."

"So that's why you didn't fight the creatures."

"Yeah, pretty much." He smiled.

"That's why I'm going to fight a lot." Patamon said. "I'm not even strong enough to handle TK when he's dangerous."

"Is anyone?" Kai asked, getting a weird feeling as he was holding Patamon. He would have to ask Rei about it later.

"Yeah, but he has something else that is important to his time. Patamon keeps me in line so I don't overdo it, so you don't have to worry about it." TK explained with a smile.

Kai nodded, believing him because of what Rei observed. "What did you think of Rei?"

"He has a lot of talent. Though, it's hard to say how strong he is since we never allowed him to reach it. Since we needed to constantly needed to adjust our strength, I say that he's probably within our league."

"You guys have a league?"

"Yeah. There is group of us that have gathered and I can say with certainty that we have a lot of power. So, we judge people with a lot of skill or power by comparing them to us. We also use us to judge how much potential someone has."

"What does that give you? Do you include them in your group?"

"It gives us an idea on what people are allowing themselves to do. If their achievements get under our skin because we can be competed, we would be able to surpass them since we know how close they are to our power."

"So you know other's powers so that you can beat them?"

"Yeah, but we would also be able to use that in order to nurture as well."

"So someone from your group would train Rei, since he's so good?"

"We would offer, at the very least. Do you want the very best for Rei?"

"I know that Rei loves to better himself in fighting styles and techniques. I think he wants to be the best, so I'm just wondering."

TK nodded, "We live in Japan, so we'll get in contact with Rei later, okay?"

Kai nodded, thinking that he got his answer. Kai stood up, "You can come back to the campsite if you want."

"Do we take that as we trust you?" Patamon asked, who was still in Kai's arms.

"Yeah." Kai smiled at Patamon. TK got up, "Do we get to know your names as well?"

"My name is Kai and the one the laptop is Kenny. The other two want to give their own introductions in the morning. Our team is called the BladeBreakers."

TK nodded, "Glad to meet everyone."

Kai led them back to where they were camping. Rei was the only one that was still up. Rei smiled a bit as they came to the fire. Kai looked at TK, "We'll keep watch if you want some sleep. I'm sure that you're not going to get much."

TK nodded, "We'll take that, thanks. Though, you kids better get some sleep later."

Kai nodded and handed Patamon back to TK before going over towards Kenny's computer. Rei watched as TK brought out a blanket and wrapped it around him and Patamon. They were sleeping in the same manner as Ed and Kenny, but in a more readiness to react than they were. Kai wrote down what was discussed as it was fresh, rather than key words. Though, if Rei and he discussed anything, that won't be put into the laptop. Once he was done, he saved the stuff and close the laptop, placing it back with Kenny in a way that would keep it save. He looked up to see that TK and Patamon were asleep.

"I see that you trust them." Rei smiled.

"I never got the feeling that I couldn't." Kai got out a blanket, though it wasn't all that warm since he gave the one he was using before to Max. The blankets that were for Krypton and Jade were given to him as well. He sat down next to Rei, "I don't know why, though."

"Well, as you came back, it seemed like you were a kid."

"Really? Maybe that's what I was feeling." Kai looked at the fire, "I got this weird feeling was I was petting Patamon. And during the whole time, I wasn't afraid or worried. I guess the best feeling I could describe it was that I was feeling at home."

"I guess it was a good feeling for you." Rei smiled, "Though, isn't this the first time you found something like that?"

"I did find that in Jade and Krypton."

"But not immediately, right?"

"Good point." Kai said, sighing, "So maybe there's something about him and Patamon."

"Your past?"

"Who knows… I want to get Jade and Krypton back before I go soul searching."

Rei nodded, "Okay, I'll keep an open mind for you, then."

Kai smiled, "Thanks."

And that's it for this long night. So now, the mystery man and his stuff creature have gained the trust of the BladeBreakers, what will they do now? Will they protect them or will they part ways later? They never gave the BladeBreakers any really information, but the BladeBreakers feel satisfy. I wonder if TK's band will gather Rei into their circle. And why does Kai feel safe around these two?


	22. Chap 21 Evil Strikes at Home

They have allowed a stranger into their group. What will the outcome of this be? Will he murder them all in their sleep? Or will he be their savior?

"Kai." Rei called. Kai looked at him, not realizing that there had been a deep silence between them for quite some time. Kai noticed that Rei looked like he was thinking about something deeply and it was making him sad. "Why do you prefer me over Byakko? Do you like him?"

"I like Byakko." Kai said, having Rei look at him, "He's a lot of fun since he's like pet that's trying to be a bit more human. It's not like Byakko is bad or anything, but I need you here more than him. You help me more than you know. If Byakko would be out, I would have to keep him in check, since he isn't house broken."

Rei smiled, "I was worried that you didn't like him or something."

"Is he trying to come out?" Kai wondered why Rei had looked sad before.

Rei shook his head, "But, normally when I go to sleep, I let him come out."

"Do you still not want the others to know?"

"Yeah… but if I stay up too long, then they'll start to worry, right? I mean, that would be more obvious than anything else I would do."

"Well," Kai looked at the fire, "I'll keep him tame enough so that they won't know while you sleep. I don't think he would act up while around me."

"Okay." Rei said, "I'll sleep tomorrow."

Kai smiled at him, "Okay."

Then the rays of the sun were coming through the trees. Rei slowly got up and went over to where he left his things last night. He started to gathering things from his bag so that he could cook. "Might as well start early."

"I'll go get more wood." Kai got up, though kept the blanket around him.

Rei looked at TK and Patamon, wondering why Kai didn't feel worry about them. Though, he wondered if he ever did with anyone before. Kai came back with more wood and Rei got the fire going stronger.

"Is it morning?" Rei looked behind him to see that Max was up.

"How are you feeling?"

Max moved a bit, touching his chest. He felt better, at least, "Better. Sorry for worrying you."

"Do you know what happened?" Kai asked.

"I probably caught something." He smiled, "It isn't anything to worry about."

"You probably shouldn't use your alchemy during the night." Rei offered, cutting up some fruits. "And you were very cold, so you should keep yourself warm as well."

"But what if we're attacked? I can't be the only one that's staying back."

"You still have Draciel." Rei pointed out.

Max remembered that Draciel was his first way of using alchemy. It would be harder since he would have to create circles for some of the more complicated and for the ones that he didn't engrave already, but it was still possible. Though, he remembered that Alchemy takes a lot of spiritual energy as well, so he should test that later, to see if using Draciel as the medium again would cause him to have the same reaction to the cold.

"We'll also tell you everything once he leaves." Kai said, pointing to TK. "We did learn a good amount about him."

Max nodded, looking at Ed. Max smiled before relaxing again. He figured that he would get up when Ed woke up. Feeling the hardness of his automail that Max built reminded him what he added that no one else in his world could do. Since he didn't use a special alloy that was created for the extreme cold, Max instead had tubes that were thin enough to transfer heat generated from blood flow surrounding the parts where metal and skin touched to prevent frostbite on the connecting nerves. Max also added heat generators in other parts so that it would warm up the metal enough to skin temperature so it wouldn't overheat Ed.

"Okay, it's almost ready." Rei said. Kai went over to Tyson first.

"Hey." He said, moving his shoulder.

"What?" He moaned, looking up.

"If you want to eat, you better get up." Kai said before going over to TK.

Max got Ed up as Rei got Kenny.

Kai touched his shoulder, "TK?" He stirred before rolling over. Patamon wasn't doing any better. Kai made sure that no one was looking before he poked at TK's face like he knew him. "TK."

"Go bother your dad." He mumbled as he used his hand to push Kai's hand away.

Kai blinked, wondering if he was recounting a moment like Rei does sometimes. He went back to poking, not understanding the urge to do so, "TK, Rei got breakfast ready."

TK moaned again before looking at him. Kai moved his hand away fast, not wanting him to get the wrong idea or something. "Oh, okay." He got up and Kai went back over to the fire.

"My name is Ed." Ed said as TK sat down.

"I'm Max." He smiled as if there was noting wrong with him yesterday.

"Are you feeling better?" TK asked as Rei passed out the food to everyone.

"Yep! Thank you for helping us."

"Don't worry about it." TK smiled. "I'm glad that we could be trusted."

Max blinked before figuring that something happened that he would learn about later. They were talking about other things that morning as they finished up.

"Are you going to stay with us?" Tyson asked as they were cleaning up the campsite.

"I'll be watching out for your guys. I'll still have to look after Jade and Krypton." TK smiled, "Oh," He brought out his map and gave it to Kai, "Use that map to get around."

"Don't you need it, though?" Kai asked, wondering why he didn't need it anymore.

"Patamon and I got it memorized already so we'll be fine. But I guess you guys also want to win this game, so this should help you with that."

Kai nodded, "Thanks."

He patted Kai's head, "See everyone later." They walked off in some direction.

"So what happened?" Max asked when they were gone.

"We found out that they knew Jade and Krypton." Tyson said. "He couldn't tell us how, so most of us went up to ask him stuff."

"What did you find?" They started to move as well.

"That he's fought with these creatures before and they consider them living creatures."

"They're also very strong." Rei said, "And they wouldn't want us to take the creatures' life unless we could do the same to a human. I got a chance to spare with them, so that's how I know that they're strong. I also think that they're probably stronger than me."

"They also had a journey, where they probably met Jade and Krypton and came up with their rules." Tyson said. "Oh, and we're in a world that's in-between the creature's world and our world. That's probably why we couldn't get back. He and Patamon are partners, like we're partners with our Bit Beast. He's after someone that's able to control the creatures."

"As for the world thing, he said that he would explain it to us later since it was really hard to explain and to understand." Kenny said, looking at his laptop. "And the ghosts are called Bakumon. Oh, and the person he's after has Jade and Krypton now and he also came in here to find them."

"They are also students of the guy that helped me." Rei said, "So I figured that they're okay for the most part."

"Do you need Dizzy for your part?" Kenny asked Kai.

"Yeah." Kai took it, scrolling down to his part. "I told him that they were our coaches and that I've been living with them, but not that I love Jade. He knew their parents and so he was around when they were young. He also knows Kaiba and said that Kaiba couldn't get Jade to trust him, so TK was going to try his luck. Apparently, he thought that his unique connection would win them over. He was watching over us since he didn't want to leave us defenseless.

"We were also commenting about Rei, and he told me that there is a league that Rei is able to enter, since he's that strong. This league is made up of people that they know, and TK is part of it. He also has a condition where he could lose control of himself if he fought too much. So, I guess that while he was fighting Rei, he had to stop himself because he could feel him losing control. There's only one person that can handle TK in this state, but he had something else to do so that's why he's not here. That's it." Kai handed the laptop back.

"What does this league do?" Max asked.

"I'm not really sure what they do, but I got the impression that it's something that tests the strength that is being obtained by other people. They could either nurture the talent they see or crush it."

"Which one are they going to do with Rei?" Tyson asked.

"TK said that they would contact Rei later about that, though he didn't say that they weren't going to crush him."

"Did you find out what style they were using?" Rei asked.

"I didn't." Max wondered why that was important, but decided not to ask. "I honestly didn't think about asking."

"That's okay." Rei smiled. He stopped suddenly before looking up.

"What's wrong?" Tyson asked, looking up as well.

It was hard to see what it was, at first. The tiny pecks of frozen water landed on them softly, coming from the sky lightly. "Nothing." Rei smiled at Tyson before moving on.

"You have a good group of friends, Max." Ed said quietly as they continued.

"Including Kai?" Max was hoping that he wasn't being pulled in by his 'charm'.

"His main concern last night was you and your team, which included me in that group. I was impressed by how much he trusted me at face value."

Max looked at Kai, wondering why he did. He knew that they didn't really trust TK and Patamon because of Jade and Krypton, as he was told. Maybe it was because Ed never had known them secretly. It would fit, but not really. It didn't feel like the right reason. "It's probably because I said you could be trusted." Max thought out loud. "And even though I don't like him all that much, he is a good leader, which would explain why he would care about me and the team."

"And Rei did make sure that you were okay." Ed said in a silly gesture.

Max smiled as he blushed a bit, "I noticed. Thanks for keeping me warm."

"No problem, but do you know why you were cold? I figure you don't want them to know since I have a feeling it deals with the gate."

Max nodded, "My chest was really cold last night and it felt too exposed after I used a lot of Alchemy. I could feel my chest touching my organs a lot better than they should, so I guess my lungs were freezing and my heart and my body temperature was slowly decreasing because of it. I mean… it was probably cold enough to freeze water, so my blood flow was slowing down."

"It's really creepy how you can say all of that without a thought of fear." Ed said with a smile.

Max blinked before laughing, "Sorry. I guess I should be careful when going into extreme climates."

"I would agree."

As the morning dragged on, Rei was noticing that the snow was coming down faster. He stopped suddenly and started to look through his bag. "What's wrong, Rei?" Max asked.

Rei looked ticked before looking at Kai, "Can I see your bag for a moment?"

Kai handed it over without asking why. He looked around as the snow came down. There was already a layer of snow on the ground and they were leaving tracks. Rei didn't find what he was looking for. He handed the bag back before taking off his own jacket and put it on Max.

"What are you doing?" Max asked, tugging on the jacket to keep himself from revealing his true expression.

"I'll be fine for a while." Rei smiled sweetly before walking off, "And you're right, Kai. We need to hide our tracks, but only after we find a cave to stay in for a while. We'll probably get lucky and the snowstorm will cover it for the most part."

"What makes you think that this will get worst?" Kenny asked as they were following Rei, with a few looking for a cave.

"Intuition and experience." He said a bit seriously.

Max then remembered that Rei told him that his winters were pretty harsh, so he figured that Rei was basing something from his home to here. Though, he wondered why he looked a bit fearful. "There's a cave." Tyson said, pointing to their right.

Everyone headed over and was collecting branches so that they could get a fire going. Kai walked back a bit to a point to where one could go down some other place to start erasing their tracks. He didn't know how cunning the creatures would be, but a thought about other bladers came into his mind. He didn't know what to think about that, since Rei did agree that their tracks need to be erased. He decided that he would talk to them about it to see what they wanted to do.

"I'll get the fire." Rei said before Max did anything.

"I'm fine." Max pointed out.

"Just humor me, okay?" He said seriously again. Max also wondered where he learned an expression like that.

"Is something bothering you, Rei?" Tyson asked, "You seem stressed."

Rei got the fire started, "I'll cook something later." He said before looking at the entrance. The snow was now coming down harder, and Kai hadn't come back. Rei walked over to the entrance, looking out to see if he could spot Kai. They were deep in the cave so they could keep away from the entrance. He didn't see Kai anywhere.

"I'm sure Kai is fine." Tyson said after a moment, realizing what Rei was looking for outside. "I mean, he did live in Russia for a while. I'm sure he's used to the cold."

"No one gets used to the cold." Rei said softly, still looking. He wondered if he should go looking for him, remembering that once Tyson had found the cave that Kai turned around to take care of the tracks. He then saw Kai on the path with his back turned towards him. The snow was making it hard to see him all that clearly. "Kai!" He yelled as loud as he could, noticing how fear had came to his voice. He didn't hear his teammates coming to see if there was something wrong, so he knew that they didn't catch it. He also noticed that Kai couldn't hear him. He ran out towards him, "Kai!"

Kai turned around, seeing that Rei was running towards him. He stopped what he was doing, since Rei still didn't have his jacket on. "What the hell are you doing?" Kai asked as he was about to order Rei to go back before Rei grabbed his wrist and dragged him back to the cave. Kai couldn't ask anything more, not after he noticed the fear in his eyes. He let go of branch he was using, figuring that if anyone came upon their tracks now would probably be someone looking for shelter. At least, that's what he wanted to happen.

"What took you?" Tyson asked as they entered the cave.

"I started at a point where it looked like we could've taken another path." Kai said as they went over to the fire. "How are you holding up, Max?"

"I'm fine." He said with a pout. "If I had known…"

"You shouldn't be using your alchemy when it's this cold out." Rei said. "You could get sick again."

"It was a one time thing." Max wanted to believe himself.

Rei sat down near the fire. He looked deep into the fire and Kai noticed that he wanted to say something, but that would reveal his secret past. Kai sighed, "Max, can I talk to you for a moment?" He headed over towards the entrance.

Max followed, wondering why Rei fell silent. He hoped that Kai didn't have the answer. "Yeah?" He asked when they stopped.

"I thought I should let you know, since you are his partner…"

"It has something to do with his past and why he suddenly got quiet, right?" Max finished Kai's reasoning. "Do you know that past?"

"No." Kai said, looking at him, "but I know that it affects him greatly. He gets into certain moods when he thinks about it, but he's fearful talking about it. On the bus when we went to the beach, his kin were saying something about a false mother of his… and something else made me remember about her, and he looked so horrified that I caught on that I'm afraid to ask anything about her." Kai looked at Rei, who was talking to Tyson and Kenny about something. Ed was looking at them, for some reason. Kai looked back at Max, "When he came to get me, I noticed fear in his eyes…"

"So, be sensitive." Max finished for him, "but what if he notices and starts to hide even more?"

"I don't think he would. He wouldn't hide if he notices. Right now, he knows that I'm probably telling you something about him, and I know that he won't hide."

"You mean he won't hide from you, but he'll hide from the rest of us." Max tried to keep his anger to a friendship one.

"He hasn't been hiding since we entered the forest." Kai pointed out, "You guys just aren't as quick as picking up on his signals."

"It's not like we don't want to be there for him."

"But he's not an open person." Kai sighed, "I also don't know why Rei started to trust me with this side, but ever since he came back after the World Tournament, I've been the only one that could catch his faces."

Max was taken back. He didn't realize that it was that far back. That seemed like ages ago, by what has happened between now and then. He remembered that everyone was mad at Rei for gaining her favor. He had set for himself girls that would seem right to like and drool over because of mother so that he could hide his true side. That didn't mean that he didn't look at guys, but he kept those glances to himself. Krypton never really caught his eye, he remembered. Rei actually caught his eye when they came back, since he was realizing that there was actually something there for Rei within himself.

"Max," Max looked at their leader, "don't worry. He's trusting everyone too, so I'm sure there'll come a day where he would be able to tell you everything about his past. It's just too sensitive right now for him to share."

Max nodded, realizing that Kai caught a sad look in his own eyes which made him comment like he did. Kai couldn't see through Max, which he guessed was a good thing. This secret of his needs to stay that way, it's what his moms wants.

Kai and Max headed back to the fire and joined everyone. As the time passed by uncounted, most had fallen asleep. It was getting worst outside. Max was sleeping on Ed, wrapped up the most in blankets that they shared. Tyson and Kenny were lying on the ground. Rei was burning things of theirs that they wouldn't need all that much on this trip or when they went back home. He knew that the fire wasn't going to last all that long. Kai caught Rei looking longingly at the fire he poked mindlessly.

"My winters," Rei said softly, "are really bad… death always follows it." Rei looked like it made a deep scar.

"Everyone will be okay." Kai said with a friendly smile.

Rei smiled before chuckling, "You smiling like that is so weird."

"Sorry." He laughed, "You know that I was talking to Max about you, right?"

"Yeah, it wasn't hard to guess that. What did you tell him?"

"That your past is sensitive… and that there's some sensitive topic about a false mother that your kin brought up."

":It's not really a sensitive topic.:" Rei said in his native tongue.

":Is it something you don't want to tell us, then? You looked horrified the last time I brought it up. :" Kai responded in Rei's language, which made him remember that they didn't give the translators to the others yet.

":Yeah…:" He closed his eyes, ":though, more like I'm afraid that other people had caught on to my expressions. I didn't want others to know about her… I didn't want others to find her…:" Rei lay next to Kai, the fire finally giving off its last breath, ":Promise me that you won't tell anyone else about her.:"

"Okay." Kai looked outside, "I won't tell. Though, what do you refer to her as? I don't like calling her a false mother."

Rei looked, "Why?"

"I just remember your reaction and I know that you don't think of her as someone that isn't your mom… I just think I shouldn't be disrespectful to both of your feelings to each other." Kai had already figured that this mother wasn't his biological mother, but knew that there was enough love there that a family was started. He was starting to get that, after staying with Jade and Krypton.

"I can't believe how intuitive you are." Rei laughed, "I call her mom."

Kai nodded, "I didn't tell Jade or Krypton about her, though."

"So now only Max and you really know about her." Rei looked at Max, who was sleeping as if he was with his brother. "I hope that Max doesn't figure anything about her. He's becoming able to see through people."

"How so?" Kai looked at him.

"He figured out the Yami Hunters. He knew that they weren't out for winning and he understand that they're willing to seek danger. I told him what they told us… He said that once you have enough time to think about them, they're not that hard to figure out."

"Are you afraid that Max will see through you?"

He nodded, "There are certain things that I can't tell anyone. There are certain things that I have to hide. I don't want him to find those things and want to talk about them because he didn't understand why I had to."

Kai patted Rei's head, "I think he's too blind to see you that clearly." Kai smiled, "Not until you give us your story, we won't understand the words in between that you show underneath."

Rei smiled, closing his eyes. He could hear the harsh winds, blowing the snow wildly across the world. The winds sounded like they were calling for the foolish to step outside. The haunting sound of the death was whistling. Rei always feared that sound, but right now, it didn't bother him. It wasn't making him curled up as some defenseless child. He felt safe from the storm outside right now. "I hate snow." Rei said suddenly. He noticed that he was falling asleep.

Kai looked outside again, understanding why he would say that. He wondered what snow meant to him. It wasn't fear or sadness. It seemed like snow. There was no feeling to it, but something was coming to mind. He wondered how deep it was by the time they get out. He bet that most of them didn't have shoes made for deep snow traveling. A weird, but awesome, idea came to him. He knew that Rei would agree to it, but will the others? He hoped so, because he knew that it would probably take away some tension in the air. And, it was one of Jade's philosophies to have fun while you work as long as you can afford it.

He wondered how the creatures were doing. If they weren't apart of their world, then would they be able to handle this cold? And why did Kai feel like he had a connection to them? Maybe it was because Patamon was one of them and Kai knew that they were probably connected to his past. After all, he didn't feel threaten by them. He felt a bit at home. Even his reaction to them this morning was out of character for him.

Kai didn't want to think about it right now. He figured that when he comes to see Rei about whatever he needed to, Kai would get his answers then. Jade and Krypton were still out there and in danger somewhere. He needed to get to them and bring them home. He was hoping that if they had to abandon the win that they wouldn't be all that mad. He didn't want to stay here. It was all fearful for him since Boris was still here. He wanted something that Kai had, even if he no longer had Dark Dranzer.

Kai then remembered that Krypton still had him. He hoped now that they didn't have him in their hands. He looked at Rei, knowing that this place was stirring his mask more than he wanted it to. He wondered what they had done to Rei to make him know that he needed to be fearful. He had always looked so strong and able, especially after his win at the World Tournament and when he finally came back. It was so weird that he was becoming a meek child and it was hard for everyone but him to accept it.

Max said that everyone wanted to be there for Rei, and Kai understands that, but they first had to learn that Rei was still a child at heart. He just had to grow up a warrior so he could keep going on. Whatever his past contains, it forged him into the person he is today. The one that can't let others see him cry; the one that can't talk about his mom; the one that only had one sister; the one that can't always see the views of his clan; the one that ran away from his village; the one that met a business man; the one that worked for this man for a long time to find a team; the one that is fearful of snow; the one that can only show his child side to a few; the one that only allows a few into his secret family; the one that became their pillar of wisdom and strength; the one that knows how to heal wounds; the one that cares about others no matter what they have said to him; the one that knows about old, and long forgotten methods and traditions; the one that traveled the world; the one that became a ninja to protect; the one that became Kai's first friend. He smiles to hide; he smiles his joys; he laughs over his hurt; he laughs at jokes and amusing moments. He knows how to cover his pain so no one can see him.

Max wants to know him, but how much can you learn about someone that hides away his true self from the world? He looked at Ed, knowing that everyone is guilty of that. Kai thought it was funny that when things were being discovered about himself, it was found out by someone and everyone came to know it. He wondered how well he can hide his stuff. Though, he had never told Tyson or Max or Kenny about his search for his past.

Uncounted time later, the snow stopped. Kai looked at his team, seeing that everyone was still deep in sleep. Kai moved Rei a bit, so that he would still be sleeping and undisrupted as he got up. He walked towards the entrance, seeing that they still had some sun to burn. He wondered if Rei would be able to tell what time it was. Kai bent near the edge of cave, sticking his arm into the snow to see how deep it was. When he pulled it out, it was about three centimeters up his hard packed arm. He walked back inside the cave, waking up Tyson and Kenny since they were the first people to go to sleep.

"Has it stopped?" Tyson asked, sleep in his voice.

"Yeah, but don't make a lot of noise."

"Why?" He got up, yawning.

"Rei's asleep."

He looked over as he rubbed his eyes. Rei was leaning against the rock, though he looked like he was leaning on something else first. "How long were we out for?"

"Don't know." Kai said before shaking Max and Ed. They both stirred before waking up. "Don't make too much noise. Rei is still asleep."

Max looked over to where he last was, seeing that it was true. They got up quietly so they wouldn't disrupt him. "When should we wake him up?" Kenny asked.

"I have a great idea that we can do, but we have to plan it right." Kai said lowly, always looking at Rei to make sure that he wasn't awake.

"You don't want Rei to be included?" Max asked, wondering why Kai would do something like that, though hoped that Kai was thinking that way so Max would win some points.

"Oh, Rei is included, trust me. That's why we have to plan it carefully." He looked at him, "And we'll need your alchemy for it to work right."

Max blinked, wondering what it was. "Rei doesn't want me to use it."

"I know, and I don't want you using it either, if you think you can't."

"What do you want to do?" Tyson asked.

"Before that, can your shoes handle deep snow? The snow around the cave is about this deep," Kai pointed to his arm where the snow came to, "or deeper."

"I think our feet will freeze." Kenny said.

"Good." Kai smiled weirdly, "Okay, so my plan should be able to work." He went over to Rei, sitting next to him, but Max noticed that it was as if he should've been the shoulder that Rei was resting on. "Rei, the snow stopped." He said calmly.

Rei stirred, but seemed unwilling to get up. "Maybe we should leave him alone." Tyson suggested.

Kai remembered when he was like that before. It was on the plane, getting here. He was dreaming of something as he awoke. After promising to not reveal Rei's past that he knows, Kai knew that he couldn't let Rei show his dream world to the others. ":Rei, the BladeBreakers are up and the snow that you're scared of has stopped. You have to leave your dream for a while. :" Kai said in that foreign tongue that Kai knew would never be in textbooks.

Rei opened his eyes, as if getting up from a good nap. He smiled at Kai, knowing what he did. He looked outside, seeing that it was true. "+Do we still have some daylight left?+" Rei asked in Japanese.

"+Yeah, though I'm not sure how much. We have another problem though.+" Kai said seriously.

"What?" Rei looked at him.

"The snow is deep near the cave, so I can only imagine what it would be out farther."

"I could always make us some snow shoes." Rei offered, "I would have to gather it, first."

"I thought you might be able to. I didn't want to ask Max for help with that since he might be still sick." Max looked ticked, wondering why Kai was contradicting and telling lies. "Would you need some help?"

"Nah, I got this." He got up, "I'll be back in a bit so don't leave the cave." He went over to the entrance. Once there, he disappeared.

"Explain." Max said, now sounding his anger.

"We're going to have a snowball fight with Rei." Kai said with a smile.

"You think it would work?" Tyson asked, "I mean, I guess we would have to mask everything to get the first hit."

"And don't you think that's a little childish?" Ed asked, "You're still in a tournament and not anywhere near home free."

"One thing that Jade always wanted us to do is have fun when we could afford it." Kai explained, "I know that we can't really afford it all that much, but we might as well relax and let off some steam."

"Why does it have to be us against Rei?" Max asked.

"Because he's better than us." Kai said honestly. He also figured that Rei didn't have a lot of fun with snow before. He hoped that this would help put a joyful smile on his face. "So, who's in?"

"I am!" Tyson said.

Max sighed, "Fine, I'll help."

"I'm in." Kenny said.

"Fine." Ed said after a while.

"Thanks." Kai smiled before they went to the entrance so Max could do his thing.

Rei gathered some of the materials for the shoes. He looked over the trees, seeing that most of the trees were covered with snow and no creatures were seen in the sky. He was glad, since that would mean that they would be able to rest the night. They wouldn't have enough time for traveling with the sun out and it was too dangerous for them to do so at night because of Max. Rei noticed that there were some animal tracks in the snow, meaning that there was game. He sat in the tree, looking at them. He rubbed his neck a bit, having a mental battle within his head. He reasoned that they had enough food for four more nights, if they eat meat for tonight. If they plan it right, they could make it to the center and not worry about it. Though, raiding was always an option, but he figured that they were probably the most prepared team around.

Rei had already limited them to eating meat only for dinner, since you can't store meat all that well in a bag. He looked at tracks again, seeing that they were large game. A few smaller ones would work, Rei knew. He sighed, looked up at the sky. It looked like it would snow again. He wondered what world it existed in. He picked up his stuff before standing up. He didn't feel right about this at all, but leaped through the trees to get back to his awaiting teammates.

He noticed that they were all standing near the entrance, making him wondering why. Kai looked at him with a weird smile, "Fire!" He yelled, and everyone leaned back with one arm behind them before throwing balls of snow at Rei. Rei was able to dodge all of those easily before noticing that there was another wave. He managed to move towards the trees, wondering what the hell was going on. He heard them coming towards him. Wasn't Kai worried about the snow? He then noticed that it wasn't as deep as Kai described it vaguely. Unless this is what he called thick.

Tyson came into his view, throwing a ball of snow at him. Rei jumped into the tree, wondering what the hell was going on.

"Come on, Rei." Kai said, holding one in his hand, "It's no fun unless you fight back."

"You want me to fight back?" Rei asked, pulling some snow from the tree and compressed it into a ball. He threw it at Kai, who got hit in the shoulder.

He smiled before throwing his up into the tree, having everyone follow. Rei then moved out of the tree, gathering snow as he did so, throwing it at everyone and the game was on. Rei was besting all of them, but no one was giving up and seemed to be having fun. As it dragged on, Rei was starting to have fun as well, using his ninjitsu skills to land him hit after hit. He even got to a point where he was taunting them. As soon as the sun left the sky, they all went back into the cave with a huge smile on their faces.

"Thanks everyone." Rei said as he got another fire going and drying their clothes.

"Glad you had fun." Kai said with a smile. "I say that was a good stress reliever."

"I agree." Tyson said with a laugh. "Hey, when we get back and when it snows next, we should totally get together and have another." He stood up, "Then I'll really show what I have packing behind my throws." He flexed his muscles in display of that power.

"… And that, Max, is an Armstrong moment." Ed said suddenly, which made Max laugh really hard.

"What's so funny?" Tyson asked.

"It's something from my past." Ed said as Max continued to laugh at. "I knew this guy that would display his muscles the same way, and it always came with some linage or proclaim to his strength."

"There's someone that we know that likes to talk about his linage too." Kenny said. "His name is Robert and he's on the Majestics."

"I told him about Robert." Max said, catching his breath.

"If we were going to do this again," Rei said, "what is it called?"

"You never had a snowball fight before?" Tyson looked at him, as did everyone else.

"No… I never went outside when it was snowing."

"What about afterwards?" Max asked, "Most people have one when the snow had stopped and they had gotten a chance to gather people for it."

Rei shook his head, "The snow was normally too high for us to go out. And we never really had times for games afterwards."

"Why?" Kenny asked as Kai was putting more wood into the fire.

"There were only a few years where no one died during the winter months. I'm sure it's still the same now… Which is making me worry about the White Tigers."

"I'm sure that they're doing fine." Max said softly, "Tomorrow, we can go looking for them."

"Oh, that brings me to a point I need to bring up." Rei said, moving on from his sadness.

"What?" Kai asked, looking at him.

"If we have meat with our meal tonight, we'll only have three more times to have meat on this trip. So, either we reach the center and win this tournament as quickly as we can, or we hunt for some more meat when we run out."

"Is meat really that important?" Tyson asked, "I mean, if we cut it out all together, would we be in trouble?"

"We would still have food that I can use to cook with, but we need meat."

"Rei's right." Ed said, "So, we only have those two options."

"What do you three think?" Kai looked at Rei, Max and Ed, seeing that Max had nodded his head in agreement.

"I kinda know how to hunt." Ed said, "I wouldn't be able to track something down all that well, but I know how to set traps and fish."

"I know how to fish." Max said. "And cook fish using alchemy."

"Is there a stream or something on that map?" Rei asked.

Kai walked over to his bag, pulling out the map and laying it down on the ground. This would be the first time that they had looked at it. Everyone gathered around it, though made sure that no one was blocking the only light source. Kai noticed how breathe taking it was and that it had a lot of talent and detail behind it. It seemed to be drawn in a computer game map, but it wasn't that hard to follow. "I think we're here." Kai pointed to a mountain formation, "and there's seems to be a water stream on the other side.

"This mountain seems pretty big," Tyson commented.

"I'm sure there are number of ways around that."

"It also seems like we could follow it for a while, to lead us in the right direction to the center." Max pointed out. "We just have to decide when it would be best to get off of it."

"We also don't know how long it would take us to get around the mountain that we're in." Rei said, "There are a lot of uncertainties that I don't like."

"I thought you didn't mind them." Tyson pointed out.

"I don't mind them in a plan, but I don't like them when traveling."

"I can tunnel through the mountain." Max offered.

"And have you sick again? Don't think so." Rei said.

"I won't get sick again." Max said, "I'm good at this, Rei."

"Then you won't have gotten cold the last time you used it." Rei didn't look at him as he went back to the map.

"Do you not trust what I can do?" Max asked angrily.

"No, I don't." Rei looked at him, "Not when you collapse over it and are as cold as death."

Max stood up and walked over to the back of the cave. "Max," Ed called, grabbing his arm before he went too far.

"I can do this, Ed." Max looked at him, "You're good, I promise. I can do this."

"Max." Max looked at Kai, "how long can you hold out using it?"

"Are you serious, Kai?" Rei asked, "Why are you allowing him to use it? It made him cold the last time."

Kai kept looking at Max. Max relaxed a bit. "He can do it longer than anyone else I know." Ed said, letting Max go, "I did forget how talented you really are." Ed looked at him.

"Okay," Kai said, "So then this is what we're going to do. Max, you tunnel for as long as you can after we eat something. Since we all got some sleep, we'll help you throughout the night. Don't push yourself and if you need a break, take it. Rei," Kai looked at him, "I know you have some powerful techniques that we could use when he needs that break."

Rei sighed, "Fine. Max," Rei looked at him, with true concern on his face, "please, don't push yourself, okay?"

Max nodded, smiling a bit. He wished that Rei could believe in his abilities like Kai did. Why did it have to be Kai that accepted his skill first? "Alright," Kai said, "so, we'll go hunting. Are you okay with that, Rei?" He looked at him.

"Yeah, I'll track, but I don't want to kill." He said honestly.

"Are you two comfortable with that?" Kai looked at them, "If you're not, then don't worry about it."

"We're good." Max said, "Right, Ed?"

"Yeah, though, would you be alright in cooking it?" Ed asked, looking at Rei.

"I'll cook it if that becomes the issue." Kai said. "So, let's get going. We have moonlight to burn."

Rei smiled as he started to cook. Rei noticed how different Kai was being. He wondered what got him to act differently. He was smiling a lot more, which was unusual since he still barely smiled. Rei noticed that Max was relaxing himself, talking to Ed mostly. Though, he had been doing that a lot during the trip. Kai was talking to Kenny and Tyson, and Tyson was all smiles. Rei wondered what this feeling coming over them was. It was like nothing could truly bother them now that they were all together. He knew that that wasn't the case always. He then remembered his kin that were out there and their coaches. Was this something that they wanted? Kai seemed to have lost focus on reaching or searching for them. He knew that wouldn't be permanent, since Rei could see how clearly Kai loved Jade and how he cared for Krypton.

"Oh, do you still want to make those shoes?" Kai asked as they were eating.

"I could, but I don't want to make them unless we need to."

"Sounds like you still need something to make it work." Tyson pointed out.

"I need to get something from within the trees, but it's not easy to get."

"Sap?" Max asked.

"I think that's what's called. I just know what I call it."

"Well, alchemy can also work on plants, if you want me to help you."

Rei looked outside, "I just remembered," He looked back at Max, "I would've noticed that the snow was changed from when I left, so how did you get the snow for the fight?"

Max was impressed that Rei could actually remember something like that. Kai had told him that Rei would, "I moved some snow from a different area and brought it over to us. I only made enough for two each, so I didn't take a lot."

"Would you be able to do the same thing with the snow that we face?"

"I could. I wouldn't mind doing so, either."

"Would you have to touch it again?" Tyson asked.

"Nah, I have something that would allow me to move it with only a thought."

"It seems like that's how it works." Kenny pointed out.

"It's a lot more complicated than that." Max said with a smile. Rei nodded, knowing that everyone else knew that Max didn't want to reveal the secrets of learning this.

"So, we won't worry about the shoes." Rei said as he served the food, "unless you start to get sick again."

Max wished that there wasn't a limit to which he was allowed to use his alchemy, but he noticed that Ed was in agreement, so he just sighed and nodded.

"Is anyone else getting a sense of awe right now?" Tyson asked after a while.

"What do you mean?" Kenny asked.

"Well, I mean this cave… Just being here somehow seems secure."

"I have heard that in ancient times, humans lived in cave and such for protection against the cold and animals." Rei said.

Max nodded how much Ed was resisting, since he does come from a different world. Max was also resisting asking Ed about his world. "Evolution of man is something very interesting." Max said, knowing that there was a way of telling Ed without telling him alone, "I mean, we came from a creature that was no better than any other animal around us and looked at how far we've come. I mean, we learned to stand instead of crawl or swing from the trees, like monkeys. We learned how to make the world change to our liking, which came from our mastery of tools and making tools out of what was given to us. We built cities, towns, law, farms, master the other animals and plants around us, study the stars, and finally came to a point where technology, which was once just stone and wood, became our playground of imagination and fantasy."

"There are some that aren't following that trend." Kai pointed out, "Some patches are keeping their old ways alive."

"They'll be brought around. I mean, the kids of such places probably want to be like everyone else."

"You would be surprise." Rei said with a sigh.

"Your village's like that?" Ed asked.

"It's not like we don't know that there is a bigger world out there and it's not like we don't know about what's not in our village, but that hasn't brought the majority to change." Rei looked outside of the cave, "I bet more than anything, it is why they have kept themselves isolated for so long."

"What inspired you to leave?" Tyson asked.

"There were people that left to get stronger… I wanted to do the same." Rei said, with a smile, "After all, I just didn't want to be kept locked up like some zoo animal."

"That sounds like you can never be caged." Kai commented.

"I try my best." He smiled. "Very few things have kept me."

"I hope that I'm assuming right that this team would be one of them."

Rei nodded, "Yeah, it has. I would never switch onto another team for anything."

"What if the White Tigers wanted you back?" Kenny asked.

"They have Lee. I am stronger than him, but he's good for them. He's probably better at leading them than I am at this point."

"I'm sure that you would be able to do a good job." Max said with a smile, "I mean, if my mom ever wanted me on her team, I would probably be the commander since I'm so much stronger than them."

"Yes, but would you be good for the team if you were the leader?" Rei asked. "We all see how good Kai is, because he thinks in terms of what's best for the team, unless it comes to his past. But then, he tries not to involve us." Rei said with a small laugh, referencing the first time that they were in Russia.

"You're worst than me." Kai shot back. "But why couldn't you lead? It seemed like you lead them in a sense in the past. That or you and Lee did."

"For one, it's been more than four years since I've lead anyone." Rei said with a sigh, "And I'm still focusing on getting myself stronger, so I wouldn't have the best interest of the team at heart if I happen to up and leave again."

"Other than Jade and Krypton, you think that this team can get you that goal?" Tyson asked.

"I know that it can." He smiled, "Are you ready Max?" He looked at him.

Max nodded, "Yeah!" He got up and everyone got a stick with fire so they could travel with some light. Max gathered water particles around them and put out the fire that way. They all walked over to the end of the tunnel. Max clapped his hands together as he closed his eyes. He knew that he couldn't fail this otherwise they would never allow him to use his alchemy again. Max placed one hand on his chest, where his amulet lay, and one on the stone in front of him. He immediately got all the information from the stone in order to work with it perfectly.

There was a light emitting from Max's hand that was placed on the rock. The rock that formed the mountain started to move towards the side as Max started to take his steps.

"What is he doing?" Kenny asked.

"I'm sure he's redistributing the matter from the rock in front of us to different parts of the mountain to make it more stable for us to walk underneath it." Ed explained.

"Is that really hard to do?" Tyson asked.

"Not everyone, and I know for a fact that Max is very talented at knowing what's the right choice to make and to make the most of his choice."

"Has he ever used his alchemy during a match?" Kai asked, kinda curious about this answer.

"Most of their combination attacks have Max using his alchemy abilities. The one where Draciel jumps onto Driger when he's creating that field around him is the most interesting one."

"When does he use alchemy during that one?" Rei asked

"When he's landing. He's making Draciel a lot denser."

"He can make it so dense that it causes an earthquake?" Kenny asked. "Why is it still spinning?"

"It's something that Max was able to do, so I'm not really sure how it's done myself. I'm still pretty new to Beyblades."

"Is he listening to us right now?" Rei asked, noticing how serious Max was looking. It also didn't seem like he was doing all that much to move the rock around them, but his expression was saying otherwise.

"Most likely not, at this point. He knows how important it is to know what material you're working with. I'm sure he's making sure that he can move the right ones to the right places and maybe even changing some slightly so that they would be stronger to hold up the mountain."

"Does it need a lot of concentration?" Kenny asked.

"If you want to do it right, it does." Rei noticed how much he wanted to resist saying more, but Rei caught something in his eyes that told him that Ed has more of a story than he's willing to tell them. He looked at Max, remembering that there was something similar between them before Max started to talk about the evolution of man. At first, Rei thought that Max thought he didn't know it to that full depth, but maybe it was for another reason. Maybe there was something special about Ed that can't be known?

"Where you also the one that taught him how to fight?" Rei asked, now wanting to know if he was right.

"Yeah, I normally spar with him after your matches. Do you see where it comes from?"

Rei kept his smile to himself, seeing that Ed was now worried about something. "Yeah, I do." Rei lied, now having all that he needed to know the basics about Ed. "That's why we can harmonize when we fight."

Kai raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything. He remembered that Rei had told him that it was really hard for them to harmonize and Rei had to teach Max something that was similar to his in order for their different forms to work right. Kai had first thought that it was because Max normally fought against him, so Rei wanted to use Max in order to help him along, but maybe Rei really did have difficulty. Now knowing that he can see the roots of a form, maybe Max's form was similar to what was going on with TK and Patamon's. But, obviously Rei was trying to get some information from Ed without him knowing. Was this how he always got his information? "Thank you for taking care of him." Kai said, somehow feeling really weird saying that.

"It's no trouble at all." Ed smiled, allowing Rei to know that they do have a deep bond with each other. He also realized how well they try to hide things from the others. Rei placed one hand into his pocket, where Driger was.

Max suddenly stopped, feeling a difference the material of the mountain. It was also worrying him that he knew what new material was entering into the equations, but he didn't know what to do about it. He was right now at the border of their world and this other world. Would they fully enter it this time, since they were still the in-between stage? He moved his hand over the material, knowing that it would feel real, it would feel like their rocks and stones.

"Do you need a break?" Rei asked beside him.

"We're at another border." He announced. "The material after this point will have another component to them."

"Shouldn't the part we've been through also have something different?" Tyson asked, "Since we're in part of another world?"

"We would go another step into that world." Max said worryingly. He and Ed had actually entered that full world before, and the material there was unlike anything Ed has been exposed to. Max knew how to work with it, since he practiced his alchemy all over that world, but that would show that he had familiar with it. He checked out the material again, feeling that it wasn't as high as when they were fully there. "In fact, we were still in our world with material."

"So we were in another world in what part?"

"Maybe phasing?" Kenny said, thinking to himself. "Maybe the other world was starting to collide with ours at the beginning."

Rei placed his hand on Max's shoulder, "We'll make it back, safe and sound. We know that you're smart enough to work with whatever new material is thrown at us."

Max smiled, really glad to hear that from Rei. It was what he really needed to hear. "Thanks." He took a deep breath in, "So, we're going to enter?"

"Lead the way." Kai said.

Max nodded and started to move the material again, but with more speed since the new material made it a lot easier to morph the land around them.

"Wow, that didn't take him very long." Tyson said as they were walking down much faster. "Max must be impressive."

"He is." Ed said softly, almost as if he didn't want anyone to hear it. Rei wondered why, though also knew that he heard that sad tone in his voice.

Kenny opened his laptop, looking at the time. It was already passed midnight. "It's already two in the morning." He announced.

"I'm good." Max said quickly, "I think we're getting closer to the outside."

"How can you tell that?" Kai asked.

"I think I can feel the gas elements."

"Can you really tell that?" Rei asked as he put his hand back into his pocket.

"Yeah, since they hit against the rock elements and such. It's not that hard to tell. Plus, there's a change in density in the rocks, meaning that we're getting closer and closer to a point where there is less rock matter."

"Which would make sense if we were nearing the end of the mountain." Kenny said.

Kai was resisting on requesting a break, since they were near the end. There was something weird going on with him, he could feel. It started when they crossed the second barrier, so he figured it had something to do with this world. "When we get close to the end, let Rei finish it up."

"How come?" Tyson asked.

"Or they can work together." Kai just wanted to have a pause for a moment. He was starting to feel sick. He was glad that it wasn't obvious on his face.

Max stopped for a moment, looking at Kai, "You okay?"

"Why think that?" Kai felt like he got punched in his stomach.

"Kai!" Tyson said as he went over to him. Ed was holding him up and he looked to be in pain. Rei took the flame that Kai was holding as Ed lay him on the ground.

"Did you learn any medical Alchemy?" Ed looked at Max.

Max walked over, "Does anyone have something that I can use to make a star?"

Rei brought out his ninja knives, "Where at?"

"He has to be in the middle."

Rei threw them down in a star shape. Max clapped his hands together and lay them down on the ground on some imagery border. Kai froze a bit, but he was now breathing again. Whatever Max was doing to him, it was working at calming it down.

"What's going on?" Tyson asked, seeing how Kai was slowly breathing normally.

"Seems like he was having some kind of attack on his nerves." Max said, "I'm not too familiar with a human body to know what's really going on, but this is like a tranquilizer."

"I guess he wanted to rest." Ed said, "Did you sense it, Max?"

"Yeah, I was feeling all the rocks around me since I was getting bored and I noticed that there was something from Kai that was very similar to this world." Max wasn't really sure how to describe it, since it was in phase with this world, it seemed. That, or he needed to harmonize with the world. He closed his eyes, feeling what his alchemy was doing to help Kai. It was like something had just exploded in Kai, and now the alchemy was helping Kai heal from it, but it was definitely from this world. Was Kai originally from this world? That was a silly thought. There was no way that Kai would be from this world, but what if he was apart of it? It was obviously known, so Kai could have some part of this. But, that would mean that there was a connection to TK and Kai, most likely, right? "Did TK seem to have some familiarity with Kai?" Max asked, though not really looking at them.

"Of course not." Tyson said, "Kai had to gain his trust before."

"Why are you asking?" Rei asked. "Does it have to do with what's happening?"

"I'm a bit worried if we enter more into the world." Max said, truthfully, "His body had some kind of reaction to this world. I'm not sure if this is the last time or if we keep going that he's going to have more and more."

"You think that TK and Patamon would have the answers?"

"… I was thinking that maybe Kai is connected to this world, which is why he's getting a reaction. But that would mean that he would probably know TK since he's more connected to this world."

"I'm pretty sure that's not the case." Rei said, "It could be a weird reaction that only Kai is getting."

"Wouldn't asking Kai be the smart thing to do?" Tyson asked.

"He doesn't know his past all that much." Rei said, "So he wouldn't know any better than we do."

"That's not very helpful for us right now." Max said.

"Blame Biovolt." Rei looked at Kai, "They're the ones that messed up his memories."

Max noticed that he was done healing, "How are you doing?" He stopped his alchemy, making the earth spit them out.

Kai rolled over, as if still sick, "What were you doing?" He still didn't feel good.

"I was…" Max started before Rei came over and picked him up. Rei placed Kai on his back.

"I could still throw up." Kai informed him quietly.

"Don't worry about it." Rei smiled, "You probably should sleep anyway." Rei just remembered that he hadn't actually slept yet, figuring he didn't when everyone else did.

"… You were saying?" Kai said louder.

Max got up, handing the knives back to Rei, "I was using a different way for alchemy. It's called Rendanshu. I'm good with it, but I'm not all that familiar with a human body."

"Sounds like you would need to be in order to use it." Rei commented.

"Not really. It's not all that hard to use the same principle on anything, but I have to remember that a human is a bit softer than rock." He smiled before heading back to the wall he was working on. Max was too worked up now to really want to do the same thing again. He clapped his hands again and put all that he had in his punch.

The mountain shook a bit, but what was more impressive was the huge whole that Max created with that punch. It was a bit smaller than the tunnel he was making, but it looked like it had gone all the way through. Max started walking down it without saying anything. Ed quickly followed before the others moved.

"What did you do?" Ed asked as they were farther ahead.

"I made sure that the wall I took out would slide out and that the border was strong enough to hold up until we got out, if it was that unstable." Max said calmly.

Ed rubbed Max's head, "Yeah, you better cool off." Max leaned into Ed, wanting to cry.

"Do you know what's up with Max?" Tyson asked quietly as they walked behind them.

"I wish I did." Rei said, wondering why Max got so angry all of a sudden. Kai was finally asleep on his back, but Rei wondered what that shock did to him. Though, Rei also wanted to punch Kai for not mentioning that he wasn't feeling well.

When they reached the end of the tunnel, they had stopped for some rest. Kai was still knocked out, so it was probably for the best that they wait.

"How are you holding up?" Ed asked Max as Rei got another fire going.

"Good." Max lay on his shoulder. "I'm a bit tired, though."

"Alchemy will do that to you."

"We should head out either at dawn or when Kai wakes up." Rei said, "If he wakes up after dawn."

"You think he would be out that long?" Tyson asked.

"He could be… He hasn't slept since the tournament started. And then getting sick on top of that. It doesn't look all that good for him."

"He hasn't?" Tyson found that hard to believe. "What about when we were all sleeping?"

"I'm nearly positive that he didn't sleep then either." Rei looked at Kai, who was leaning on Tyson. "He probably didn't want to leave us unguarded."

"He better get better then."

Rei smiled, "Yeah, so I can punch him for not telling us that he was feeling ill."

"Though," Kenny interrupted, "you would do the same thing."

Rei blinked before laughing. Max didn't like the fact that Rei wasn't saying anything more about it. Is Rei still planning on hiding his pain? Kai mentioned that Rei was opening up to everyone, but what does that really mean when he still hides his thoughts and emotions? How can they really know him if he doesn't tell them things? Ed placed his arm around Max, making Max smile.

The rest of the morning was quiet as the fire crackled. Rei looked outside, seeing that it had snowed on this side as well. He thought that it was kinda odd, if they were in deeper into the world that TK was talking about, since you would think that a storm from one wouldn't be able to cross into another. Though, they've been doing it well enough so maybe it was possible.

"Do you think the map is still valid?" Tyson asked.

"We'll know as soon as we head towards the stream." Rei said, "Though, I guess it would be his call if we're going to take that chance."

Tyson nodded his head, looking outside as well, "I wonder how the other teams are doing. I also wonder if what the Yami Hunters are doing."

"That's a good question." Kenny said, "since they were told to save those that switch over."

"But we haven't seen anything like that." Max pointed out. "All we've seen are creatures."

"Which means we need to be more careful around here," Rei said, sighing, "We'll have more problems once the day comes."

"Like what?" Tyson looked at him.

"If Kai doesn't get better with each new entry, we're going to be slowed down. Then, we have to worry about making it to the center, since even though there's so much we could be doing; Jade and Krypton would want us to at least win this stupid tournament. If nothing hinders us from winning this thing, we have to find a way out, and see if we can get others as well. But before all that, we have to make sure that we have enough food to survive, because we don't know the weathering around here, and have some kind of medicine incase someone else gets sick."

"I can always use my Rendanshu techniques." Max said, though not getting up from Ed, "I need practice on it anyway." Max had learned about this alchemy from the gate, wanting to learn all about Ed's work. Even though Rendanshu is known as a healing alchemy, it used the flow of the earth as it's source and not really the user. Max wanted to practice using it, since he also noticed how this world material had a kind of healing quality to it.

"What if you get sick again?" Rei tried to keep his tone in check, "It sounded like Ed doesn't know how to use this kind of alchemy."

Max blinked before looking away. He noticed that Rei had picked up on the fact that Ed can't use alchemy. Though, he knew that Rei wouldn't have any idea about the damage Max had did upon himself in order to know what he knows now about Ed's world of alchemy. He wondered if Rei was wondering why Ed couldn't use what he taught and why he couldn't even begin using Rendanshu. Max looked at Ed, "Can you read my notes?"

"Some of it." Ed said, "Why? You wrote down how to use medical alchemy in there?"

"I was writing a bit on the plane." Max smiled. He was hoping that Ed would pick up on the fact that he wrote down everything that he had learned in the Gate, since he knew that it would've been smarter to do that. He also wrote a bit before that as well. "Just like you taught me to do."

"Let me see." Max reached for his booklet, handing it over to Ed. Ed started to look through it, though not reading it heavily. He was nodding his head, as if understanding what he was reading. Max smiled after a while, seeing that he was in his serious read mode.

"I think he can read it. So, Ed can perform it if I get sick again." Max said to the rest of the people.

"Why wouldn't Ed be able to use that kind of alchemy if he was the one that taught it to you?" Tyson asked, which was telling Max that it was obvious that there were holes in their story.

"He told me about Rendanshu, but he never learned it on his own. I thought that it would be useful so I've been studying up on it and testing it on smaller things."

The look on Rei's face told Max that at least he wasn't buying it but he wasn't saying anything about it. He wondered how hard it would be to make Rei believe this lie. Or, would he finally have to tell his partner the truth about Ed? He wanted to talk about this with Ed, but the two languages Max and Ed knew was known to everyone else. Ed was starting to teach him the German that he knew, and they were also learning from books. It was intended for Ed alone since he wasn't supposed to be here. He wondered if Kai knew what Rei knew.

Rei looked outside again, seeing that a sun was going to rise. It was rising in the same fashion as their realm. Rei wondered how much change they would have to do in order to survive in here. Rei got up and walked towards the entrance. He looked around, trying to get a better idea on how this world worked. He picked up some snow, seeing it melt in his hand like normal. He looked around, seeing that nothing has come by this area since the snow had fallen. The sounds were like that of a forest during winter, still. In eye sight, this world was still theirs.

He fused with Byakko for a moment, wanting to see farther. He could sense things better than Rei could, and Rei could see that Byakko's internal animal instincts weren't working all that good. Byakko could see and hear and smell just like Rei could, but his animal instincts were screaming. He wondered if they were surrounded by flying creatures or creatures with powers they don't even know of.

"I wonder what Rei is doing." Kai heard from Tyson. He was leaning against someone, it seemed. He figured that it wasn't Rei, since he knew that Rei wouldn't move all that much if someone was on him.

"Same here." Kenny said somewhere close. That's when Kai noticed that he couldn't move or open his eyes. He didn't let that worry him, since he now had some time to think about what happened to him, since he was thinking about when he first was introduced to Dark Dranzer. That feeling of something within him was coming back again, but it wasn't something that was unpleased. In fact, it seemed to be connecting to something, spreading through him with a warm feeling. Kai could feel power within it as well. It almost felt primordial, but of what, he wasn't sure. Kai could feel a memory with this, making him wondering why. The feelings that came with it were enough to make him cry, if he wasn't able to control his emotions. Happiness, sadness, loneliness, heartache, anger, joy: all were felt at once, it seemed. What was this thing that had just released itself in Kai?

Byakko had picked up on the fact that Kai was now conscious. Rei explained what was going on with him, since Byakko wanted to check himself. Byakko went back to sleep when Rei was done, since there wasn't much that Byakko could do for Kai. Rei promised to tell Kai that Byakko was worried about him and that he needs to take care of himself while he's not there. Rei thought it was kinda funny, but then, he doesn't know what Byakko and Kai do when Byakko is out. Rei stood up and went over to where they were. Kai looked to be asleep still, "I was seeing what changes we should be expecting."

"What did you find?" Tyson asked.

"That we should be able to use our common sense to figure most of it out. We just have to make assumptions and quickly determine what is true and what isn't. We can't go off trying to learning everything about this world, just enough to get us through it."

"That sounds good to me." Max said, already knowing the inner workings of this world as it was.

" Byakko noticed that you're up, so unless you can't move, I would suggest that you do. " Rei said in Russian.

Kai smiled inwardly, since he really couldn't move. His body was really sore, " I don't think I can get up. " He noticed that his vocals were good, but he still couldn't up his eyes, " I can't even open my eyes. "

"Byakko wanted you to know that he's worried and that you need to take care of yourself while he's not here."

"Sorry for worrying him."

Rei wanted to ask more about their relationship, since it was now something that Rei didn't know about. But, now wasn't the time to ask such things, "+Are you sore all over?+" Rei allowed everyone to hear.

"+Yeah, I can't move any part of me, except my mouth, it seems.+"

"What about that attack?" Tyson asked.

"I think that settled already."

"What did it do to you?" Max asked, sensing this world in him even stronger.

"I think it released something that had always been inside me." Kai was feeling it again, remembering his moment with Dark Dranzer. The darkness was always inside of him, but it was growing more negative as his life played out after that day.

"Do you think you'll be okay?" Kenny asked.

"Yeah.. once my body is done being numb."

"From what I could tell," Max jumped in, "it would appear as if something had exploded inside of you."

"I did felt like I was suddenly punched. Was it hard to heal?"

"No, it wasn't. It's also connected to this world, so we don't know what will happen to you if we enter more of the world."

"We won't get far if you let this stop us." Kai said without hesitation. Rei could see that Kai wasn't about to let anything stop him from ultimately finding Jade and Krypton.

"Also, should we trust the map that we were given?" Kenny asked.

"I think so. After all, he's more familiar with this kind of thing. I'm sure he already explored the area as much as he could to make the map for himself." Rei noticed that now everyone was picking up on how easily Kai was trusting TK and Patamon.

"I agree." Rei said, knowing that he needed to cover this secret from the others. Kai couldn't explain his trust in them, and chalking it up to the past that Kai can't remember probably won't help, "I'd kept my eye on him the whole time and he didn't do anything that would suggest that he switched maps or made up a new one."

"Now that's a sharp eye." Tyson commented, allowing Rei to know that everyone believed him. Not that Rei wasn't watching them, but he really did doubt that he was fast enough to keep up with them if they got serious. Their speed was going to surpass the level he was left at, so he had no doubt in his mind that they could go faster than his eyes could see. Rei really did hate this feeling of inferiority.

"How are you feeling now?" Max asked Kai, wanting to get moving already.

"Better, I guess." Kai smiled. He moved his right arm, noticing how slow everything was coming back to their senses. He also noticed that the feeling he was getting initially was starting to lessen. He wondered if that's what happened to him when he felt the abbey with that dark energy building up. He tried to get himself up, but it wasn't working all that well.

"There's no need to push yourself." Rei said, "We still have enough time for rest before we head out."

"So it's not morning yet?"

"Yep. So you can rest more if you want."

"I'm good." Kai stopped moving, knowing that his body was just going to heal itself. "Anything interesting happened?"

"Nothing." Tyson said as Rei sat down. Rei started to make something, since it was morning. By the end of it, Kai could move his legs and arms, but he still couldn't open his eyes for some reason. It was weird healing process, though. Kai noticed that he was actually paralyzed while he was asleep, as well as being drained of energy. Right now, it's a slow process to heal up, and he still felt like he could get sick. And for some reason, he felt like this was similar to him in some way.

Tyson was letting Kai use his shoulder for guidance, since he didn't want to be carried over the snow. It was a whole new experience, since Kai had sharpened his senses just to keep track of his surroundings. Rei was staying near him, since they could still get attacked and he was now the weakest link. He was actually curious if he could battle like this, though. He figured that he could, being that awesome.

Max was trying to figure out what was going on with Kai, but knew that he would need more of a medical background to really understand it. After all, all he's good at right now was alchemy, not bio-alchemy. He hated, though, that Rei was standing next to him, but couldn't get all that mad. After all, he was also making sure that nothing was attacking Kai's other side and Ed was protecting him from behind. Kenny was in between Max and Kai, for his own protection.

They walked for a good distance, with Tyson leading the way towards the river on the map. He wondered what Kai was thinking in this state, since who would be comfortable with being blind? "Stop." Rei said suddenly, having everyone do so.

"What?" Kenny asked, the only brave one to do so.

Rei looked around, though never moving far from Kai, "Someone's coming."

"Creatures or people?" Ed asked.

"People." Rei stared in one spot, using Byakko's sight to see who it was. "I think it's the AllStarz."

"Really?" Max asked, a bit happy and fearful. When they had entered the forest, his mom was with them. "Let's go meet them."

"Are you worried about something?" Kai asked, since Rei wasn't agreeing quickly with Max.

"About what the Yami Hunters need to do. What if they are already switched?"

"I'm sure they're not." Max said, wanting to see his mom, though there was a part in him that also didn't want to.

"We shouldn't run to them unless we know for sure. After all, Kai can't see." Rei said, trying not to argue.

"I think they found us." Tyson said, pointing to them as they were walking through the forest towards them. "I don't see your mom, Max."

Max looked over to where Tyson was pointing, seeing that he was right. Why wasn't she there with them? Surely if something happened to her, they wouldn't leave her. Worry came over Max as the days passed played in his mind, making him more fearful that his mom wasn't there. Ed wrapped his arms around Max before he got the chance to run over to them. Max grabbed hold of Ed's arm, wanting more than anything to be told what happened to his mom.

Rei was glad that Ed was keeping Max near them as the AllStarz approached. Rei had to keep himself near Kai, on part since he can't see. He could also tell, from Byakko's senses, that they were probably already taken over by the force that the Yami Hunters were sent to stop.

"Hey guys," Tyson called when they were in hearing, "how are you doing?"

"Tyson!" Michael called, pointing his finger to him, "I challenge you to a battle."

Max froze, wondering why he wanted one at this point, "Where's my mom?" He asked, not caring if Tyson accepted or not, not noticing that Tyson was looking at Rei, confirming that they were already gone.

"We don't have time for this." Kai said, getting a sense on what was going on since Rei got a lot closer to him and the same with Tyson, "Jade and Krypton are in here somewhere. If you're so interested in the tournament itself, then I suggest that you fight us when we reach the center and not before."

"You're also included in this fight, Kai." Steve said. Kai could hear him pounding something between his hands.

"Where's my mom?" Max asked again, but almost yelling it this time.

"Do you accept our challenge?" Emily asked. "We're even challenging you to a two on two, just like they taught ya."

Max hated how they weren't answering him. It was like his mother didn't matter to them anymore. Ed made sure that Max didn't use his alchemy.

"Tell us where Max's mom is." Kai demanded, "and maybe we'll consider."

"We'll tell you if you can win." Eddy said.

"You think you're that good?" Tyson asked with a laugh, "It wasn't that long ago that we were running circles around you."

"Today will be different, Tyson." Michael said, "Now, do we have to force you to fight us or what? I thought your motto was to never back down from a match."

"When we win, you help us get to the center and tell Max where his mom is." Kai said, not wanting to waste time on people they know they can beat.

"Sure." Michael said, though in a tone that said that he didn't believe him.

"Are you okay with this? Rei and I can pair up." Tyson said as Kai was feeling for his Beyblade.

"As we know, it doesn't take a lot of sight to fight." Kai smiled, referring to Dark all those months ago.

Tyson sighed, hoping that Kai knew what he was doing. Rei looked worried about something as Kai got to the same level as Tyson. Ed moved Max back as Rei and Kenny backed up. Michael and Steve were paired off and both parties were in launch ready.

Rei wondered what was going on with them, since he was sure that the old them would've helped them. Then there was the issue that Max's mom wasn't there with them. There was a good chance that she was taken outside of the forest, but with how they found that abandon truck, it was highly unlikely. Rei looked at his partner, wondering why he looked a bit relieved that she wasn't here, though still more worried that she wasn't.

"Three…" Kenny started the countdown to the first match since they entered.

And that's the last of that. Seriously, that's the end of the story. There's no more after this.


	23. Chap 22 Double Attack

I lied!! You didn't really think that was the end, did you?

"Let it Rip!" Kenny said as they launched their blades at each other. Kai thought it was interesting that he could tell how his blade was moving, but he couldn't feel out the other Beyblades. Kai was wondering what Rei was doing, since he probably didn't like this setup, but he had to focus on the battle.

"Tyson, you have to lead me." Kai said quietly.

"Why?" He asked, looking at him with his eyes so their opponents wouldn't notice.

"I can only feel out Dranzer. I can't sense the others. I think I'm beginning to know what's around the battlefield, but I don't know for sure."

"Understand." Tyson looked back at the battle, seeing that they weren't doing all that bad, "Though, you usually the one that comes up with a plan of attack."

"I know our formations."

"Okay." Tyson wondered if they would ever need to use those on them. After all, they were the same as they were when Kai and Tyson had battled those months ago. They also weren't looking the part that they had something else up their sleeves.

Rei wondered what they were planning. They weren't better from when they last shown themselves, and yet they had challenged them to a battle. Maybe the powers that changed them didn't realize this big difference in skill. Rei also didn't like that Kai was going in blind. Sure, there were others that battle under these conditions, but Kai had never trained himself not to see. Rei experienced it once, a long time ago to understand what is needed to battle in such conditions. He looked around with his eyes, not sensing anything coming around them for an ambush and they didn't seem like they had any real plan about them. Though, it was probably better for Kai to feel out the terrain before fighting a real fight. He had heard what they were saying, but Kai still needed to see in order to use the field to its advantage.

He looked over at Max, seeing that Kenny was recording the data as Ed was still holding Max still. He looked a bit calmer, but that was probably because he realized what a joke this battle was. Though, he did have a point, why wasn't his mother there? She did come in with them. What could the forces that switch them over want with her? She was knowledgeable, yes, but she wasn't the best person to get for all there is to know about Beyblades. He doubted that there was anyone with that kind of knowledge. Kenny was probably getting closer to that, since all the best bladers will be coming after them one day. Would this need to be a stepping stone in the end?

Max wondered why they challenged them when they were this bad. Tyson and the blinded Kai were running circles around them without even trying. Was this all they had within them? "I think they're holding back." Ed whispered to Max.

"I'm thinking the same. There's no way they would be this bad still." Max said.

"Can you focus?" Max looked over at Rei, who looked to be a bodyguard on standby. "If you can see anything hidden, they need to know. Kai's at a disadvantage without his sight, no matter how good he is."

"Can you fight while blind?" Kenny asked.

"I can manage. I only trained once while in complete darkness to get a feel for it, and that was it." Rei looked at Max with a smile, "You have better eyes than I do, so I'm sure you can see through their disguises."

Max nodded, liking that Rei trusted him with something important. He looked back at the battle, seeing if he could find something within their mode that said that they were up to something. Obviously, they were captured by whatever powers they needed to be weary of, but Max wondered how easily they were captured. He studied their patterns in their attack, seeing that they weren't even their normal patterns. It was like they were just starting to learn how to play the game, though having enough raw spirit in order to send useless, powerful attacks. Their timing was way off. "Their timing is way off. It's like they're not the ones in control." Max finally said, before looking at the people. He noticed how attentive they were being, as if watching the masters at work. Were they just guinea pigs? What if they were doing the same thing that his mom did all those many, many months ago? Even the ones that weren't battling were watching it intensely. "I think they're studying you guys." Max whispered loud enough for his teammates to hear him.

"Really?" Kai asked, though keeping in the same tone, "What are they trying to do?"

"I think they're doing the same thing my mom once did to us. Send us to battle people that were weaker to gain access to what we can do." Max said, glad that the other team wasn't hearing them.

"How are your eyes?" Tyson asked Kai, needing to know what kind of attack they would need to show them.

"They're not recovering. Just pick whatever and I'll follow. You don't have to yell it."

Tyson looked at the battle again, wondering what should be used. Should they use something that would break their Beyblade? Tyson was worried that since Kai couldn't see that he wouldn't be able to make the subtle change that would be needed if they're not in proper alignment. Tyson thought that it would be a good idea to get help to get the Beyblades in line, but then that would give away their secrets.

"Tyson," Kai said, making Tyson look at him, "you're thinking too much."

Tyson took in a deep breathe, "Okay, only move when I say so."

Kai nodded and Tyson started to move their Beyblades into a formation that would best work for Kai in his condition. He himself could've taken them out easily, but this was a team battle and in team battles, no one person gets all the glory. They weren't staying put like he was hoping for, so Dragoon went over to Dranzer, "Drained Cyclone, I'm on the inside." Tyson said as he got Dragoon to guide Dranzer through the path that he needed to follow.

Kai wondered how difficult this really would have been if Tyson hadn't been there to guide him. With Dragoon leading him, it was easier for Kai to get a sense of where their opponents were in the center. He doubted that he could've done this alone as they went into their spin sequence. They first enclose the opponent in a circle as their Beyblades spun around each other. It was supposed to look like they were a torrent, following a water flow down a drain. Kai noticed how Tyson was leading him through it, to make sure he knew where to turn. Otherwise, Kai could've mess up the entire formation by over or under-guessing. He also noticed that they didn't start their cyclone as soon as they started their circle, probably because Tyson wanted Kai to get a feel first of where they were heading and how big the circle was initially.

They knocked them out with one hit of their combo. Tyson knocked the Beyblades back to the owners, "Now, tell us where Max's mom is." Kai demanded.

Rei heard a sudden noise, realizing that they might not hear the enemy coming. "You're not done yet." Emily said as the Majestics showed themselves. Kenny got worried, realizing that they were surrounded. "You still have two more to battle."

"BladeBreakers!" Robert said in his royalty pose, "We challenge you to a match!"

"We're kinda busy at the moment." Rei said, standing firm while facing them.

"You have two that aren't battling." Johnny pointed it.

"Rei," Rei turned his ears towards Kai, but he wasn't about to let his eyes off the new threat, "it's okay. All we have to do is beat them. That shouldn't be too tough."

"I see that caution is out the door."

"I never said that. But freeing them isn't our job. Getting to the center and winning this tournament is."

Rei sighed, "We can't leave them, either."

"Maybe an answer will come once we defeat them." Tyson said, "Can you fight, Max?" He looked at his best friend, wondering how he was doing.

He nodded, having Ed let him go. "Let's do this, Rei." He walked over to him.

Rei didn't like this. It was letting the enemy know what they were able to do. He looked up in the trees, wondering if the ghosts were there. He wondered why he couldn't sense them before. He looked back at Kenny, seeing that Ed was watching their backs. He wondered how good that really was. "So, how do you guys want to fight?" Rei asked the Majestics, now their new opponent. He heard Kai and Tyson launching again.

All four were in a line and they had their Beyblades in hand. "Does this answer it?" Robert asked.

Rei wondered why they wanted to know how good they were separately. Did they two show something that needed to be tested out individually? "Max, we're going to attack each blade together." Rei whispered.

"Okay." Max said, knowing that he didn't want to show off his Alchemy to the enemy anyway. "Let me pick which styles we do. I don't want them to know about my Alchemy."

"We've never known it before and you've used it." Rei pointed out, though wanting to know if he noticed what he did.

"That's because I knew that you guys wouldn't be looking. Since you're good in battle situations, I'm sure you're not blind right now." Max also didn't like the fact that he had learned Alchemy in this kind of world, and if those creatures were the reason for their friends being taken over, then he didn't want the creatures to know how much he had improved. He wondered how much they knew, since he had used it before now. Did they want to test him or did they want to test Rei? That was something he figured that either one of them could answer and if they take care of everything together, then they could hide their secrets better. "I know that we both need to hide."

Rei smiled, "Glad we're on the same page. Alright, lead on. I'll give my advice as we battle."

Max nodded, wondering why Rei was so ready for a fight. Maybe it had to do with the fact that a battle could happen at any time and they needed to be on alert. They got their launchers ready, though Rei was doing his ninja launching. Max would've done his Alchemy launching, since he did think of a few ways to use his Alchemy to get Draciel started, but decided not to since he didn't want to show off. "Three!" Max announced, "Two! One! Let it Rip!!" He said, pulling hard on his rip cord as everyone launched.

Draciel and Driger went straight for Unicolyon. Since either wanted to show any special moves, they were mainly attacking it head on. When the others were approaching, they waited for the last possible moment to move out of the way, making the Majestics blades clashed. Max again noticed that there was little control to the Beyblades and they were using up a lot of raw energies. "They're the same as the All Starz." Max whispered to Rei.

"More power than needed." Rei commented to himself, looking at what they were doing. Right now, Draciel and Driger were separated and the opponent wasn't knocked out. He wondered if raw power could make them all survive a collision like that.

Tyson was noticing how harder it was for them to defeat Emily and Eddy. Max did say that they were probably testing them, but could they gather so much in so little of time? And it wasn't helping that Kai still couldn't see. Tyson was protecting him mostly at this point, not sure how well he would stand if they landed a critical hit.

Kai was starting to understand the sounds that were going on around him. He could tell that there was more metal clashing over where Rei and Max were, probably meaning that it was a gang up. Though, he didn't understand why Rei and Max weren't finishing them off quickly. He also didn't understand what was taking Tyson so long to come up with a way of finishing off these guys. He was getting the sense that Tyson was taking a lot more of the blows since he didn't feel that Dranzer was getting hit. It also wasn't helping that he wasn't healing all that fast. It seems like all his other senses were fine, maybe a little heightened as well, but his sight wasn't back. He really wished he had another way of seeing, since that would make it easier for him to fight.

"We should have enough raw power ourselves to take them out." Rei offered, though actually wanting Max opinion on this.

"We should, but do we really want to let them know how much power we're packing?" Max asked, wanting to know what Rei was thinking. Was he that worried about Kai or was he sensing something? "We may have our aces hidden, but letting them know just how much fire power we're packing isn't a good idea."

"So, we have to be crafty about our tactics." Rei summed up, as their Beyblades were making their opponents chase them. They were coming up with a plan, and this was the best way to buy them time. "We have to be precise with each and every movement."

Max nodded, "I'm good with that. How about if we do what we do best?"

"Meaning?" Rei wasn't sure what that meant anymore.

"Why not attack the way we had in the past? I'll defend while you attack. We'll pick one to separate and I'll hold the others back while you attack the one we separated. Hit at critical points on the Beyblade to make it fall or simply knock it over."

Rei nodded, liking that idea. They didn't have to show off what they learned individually that way. Rei studied the Beyblades at hand, "We'll go with Amphilyon."

" Right ." Max launched at Amphilyon, quickly stopping right before the collision, sending Amphilyon far away from everyone else. Max then focused his energy on stopping the others from following as Driger made his approach.

Rei was surprised by that force and that Draciel was still standing. Maybe there was something that Rei wasn't seeing, but he thought it would be better if he asked later. Max talked about critical points as if they should be known to everyone. Rei was never looking to destroy a Beyblade, so he wondered what those critical points did, knowing that Max wasn't into destroying either. He was glad that he could make Driger move in a way that a fighter would by now. It made it a lot easier to guess where these magical critical points were and to hit them accurately. Driger was able to go under the attack ring, pushing Amphilyon up as it continued the rotation. Amphilyon was sent flying into the air by the power that Rei could now send into Driger. Driger launched itself from a rock to head over to Amphilyon. Driger knocked it into a spin of doom before recoiling from a tree to land back on the ground. Amphilyon bounced before finally laying to rest.

"I don't think they can use their Bit Beast." Max said before knocked away Oliver, understanding the pyramid. He looked over to Tyson's battle, seeing that they haven't used theirs either. "Shouldn't they be able to?" Max looked at Rei.

"It could be that since they'll being controlled that they can't access them." Rei guessed, "It's probably because they're being controlled." He reasoned, understanding the nature and bond of Bit Beast a bit better than most. He then embedded Unicolyon into a tree.

"What if the next group is able to control the Bit Beast?" Max asked, taking away Salamolyon from Griffolyon.

"There's a high chance that won't happen." Rei said as he toyed with Salamolyon for a while.

"Why?" Max was now beating down on Griffolyon so it wouldn't take much for when Rei returned.

"There's a limited number of Bladers that have Bit Beast to begin with, and I'm sure that we'll run into other teams without Bit Beast way more than our friends."

"I'm saying that the odds are high in the other favor."

Rei knocked down Salamolyon, "Why?"

Max pushed Griffolyon in between them, "Just look at who we're facing now." They were encircling Griffolyon before they each went to a different side of Griffolyon, moving in parallel lines and hitting the attack ring at the same to stop it from rotating and to push it back into a bush.

Rei looked at the Majestics, not seeing the familiar shame that came to their faces when they lost. They were just looking at them with blank stares. "We've won." Rei stated, "So pick up your Beyblades and go."

They didn't say a word as they continued to stare.

Tyson looked over at Kai, wondering what he was thinking. He couldn't do anything, but defend Dranzer with how they were relentless in their attacks, unlike them at all. Kai was starting to get a sense of direction, though he wondered how good that was doing him right now. "Tyson, give me a direction to move." Kai wanted to make sure that he was getting it right.

"Right." He said, wanting to move Dranzer out of harm's way. Dranzer made a sharp turn right, quickly moving up to avoid hitting a tree. "I don't think I can concentrate on two movements."

"Most of what we do require us to be symmetric." Kai pointed out, "And I know the terrain by now."

Tyson wasn't hearing additional clashing and looked to see that the Majestics weren't leaving. They also had a creepy expression on their faces. "I don't think we're getting out of this one as easily as we thought." Tyson commented before focusing back on their battle, "We'll try the Drained Cyclone again."

Kai nodded, getting frustrated at himself that he couldn't see yet. His other senses were right now fine, so why weren't his eyes? _When surrounded by darkness,_ a voice entered Kai's mind, _create yourself a new source of light. Let your new eyes be able to see through the darkness._ Kai knew that this was feminine voice and it was different from all the other voices he has heard. Was this person from his past too? Though, what she said was helpful. Kai could feel that Tyson wasn't able to do the same formation as precisely as they did it the first time, probably because they had already read through it. They had always been quick with data processing. He had to create a new way of seeing, and Dranzer was his best bet at this point. As he was feeling for Dranzer, he could barely feel him. It was like there was a net separating them. Was this world not letting their Bit Beast through? Kai had abandon Dranzer once and wasn't about to do so ever again. "Dranzer!" Kai called to his friend and partner.

Max looked at what was going on with the other two, seeing that a lot of light was coming from Kai's Beyblade and that his eyes were now glowing. The ones that were switched were watching in awe and Max knew that wasn't a good thing. Kai looked determined to do whatever he was trying to do, though Max wondered why it was taking so much to call up Dranzer.

Tyson was looking at his partner, seeing that his eyes were shining as he looked at his Beyblade. No one was moving, though he didn't like the fact that they were watching. The light from Dranzer seemed to be similar to when Jade and Krypton's Bit Beasts were trying to come out. Tyson hoped that Kai was trying to come up with a way to allow him to see. They have trained to use their Bit Beast as a last option, after all.

Rei would've looked to see what Kai was planning, but he wasn't about to let the enemy a free pass. They were looking at Kai as well, though it seemed like they were observing or recording. He wished that Kai wasn't doing whatever he was doing, but he also figured that it had to do something with his sight. Rei felt a strong presence coming towards them, fusing with Byakko to be prepared to take them on.

This world didn't want to let the Bit Beast come forth, Kai noticed. Kai felt a darkness that was behind Dranzer as he tried to break through. Kai didn't feel like it was threatening, but rather familiar. Kai had a weird idea that he might've been able to control it enough to cut through the bars that separated him from his beast. Vines shot up from below Dranzer, cutting through the net and allowing Dranzer to emerge.

Tyson wondered why Kai looked like he just received an upper cut as he stubble back a bit before regaining his balance. As he placed on hand over his eyes, the familiar light from his Beyblade brought Dranzer to the battlefield. He screeched to their opponent.

Kai heard Dranzer and looked up, seeing that he could now see again. Those vines did cut something else that was connected to his eyes, but he wasn't sure what it was. He was glad, though, that they weren't separated.

"Move!" He heard Rei yelled before being pulled away. His Beyblade was shot to him as Driger followed. Once Rei landed from his jump, he was dragging Kai with him. Kai looked back, seeing that those creatures were now chasing them. He didn't like the fact that their once friends had a weird smile and were un-harm.

Kai looked ahead of them, seeing that everyone had decided to run instead of fight. It was probably because they weren't sure of his state. Kai made sure he was keeping pace with Rei before forcing him to let go of his wrist. "Max, Rei, can one of you two create a cover for us?" Kai asked, not knowing if he should send in both or one.

"I'll do it." Max said, knowing that this many would need to be stopped for a long time in order for them to escape. Max stopped as everyone ran pass him. He turned around as he clapped his hands, stomping the foot that was in the air on the ground to make the earth come up in from of them. Max was using the fact that this world had a lot more modeling properties with small quantity of material to conserve that matter he needed to make a Great Wall of his own. Once he made sure that none of the creatures were getting through it, he touched the earth, moving the trees to create another wall. Once he was done, he started to run after his team. He noticed Dranzer and was following him while running fast. He started to hear the familiar sounds of water rushing through a path craved over years. Once he caught sight of the river, Dranzer turned right and Max followed.

"Glad you made it back safely." Kai said, "Are you okay?"

Max nodded, "We should be good for a while. What happened?"

"With what?" He blinked as if he didn't do something weird.

"Your eyes were glowing before Dranzer appeared." Tyson said as they all started to head down the river. "And it looked like it was taking a lot to call him forth."

"Oh." Kai said as if he didn't notice, "It was taking a lot to call him. It was like this world didn't want him to enter it or something."

"How so?" Rei asked, not liking the sound of that.

"There was a net like thing that was preventing him from entering. I managed to cut it and I guess that's when he appeared here."

"We should see if we can call our Bit Beast here." Rei looked at the other two.

"I say you let Kai look to see if their trapped." Kenny said, "If he was able to see Dranzer, then he probably can see the others too."

Kai doubted that, but figured that it wouldn't hurt to try. "Before that," Tyson said, "what pushed you back? And why were you trying to call Dranzer?"

"I thought that I should try to see if I could see through his eyes. The thing that I used to cut the net also cut something that was linked to my eyes. I'm not sure what it was, though."

"Then let's see if we can feel our Bit Beast." Rei said, not really wanting Kai to call Driger forth. They all stopped before the last three closed their eyes as they brought out their Beyblades. Rei could sense that Driger was there in his Beyblade, opening up his mind to make sure. He smiled to his faithful friend before opening his eyes. "Driger's there."

"Same with Dragoon." Tyson reported and Max nodded.

"So why did you have to set Dranzer free?" Ed asked.

Kai shrugged his shoulder, "If I had an idea, I would throw it out there." He started to walk again, "The only thing I can think of was that freeing Dranzer freed the others."

"It did seem like either group could use their Bit Beast." Max said as the others followed. "Rei thought that it was because they were being controlled." Max knew that he didn't try to test Draciel when they first came here, since he was learning Alchemy and wanted to improve that.

"I hope they didn't get a lot of information about us." Tyson said.

"You guys had an advantage, though." Rei said, "You were defending Kai a lot more than attacking, so they didn't see you at full strength. Max and I were keeping our hidden skills a secret, though they probably got a sense of the power and control we have."

"Showing what we're packing isn't something we have the luxury of hiding." Kai said, "You two might be able to keep it separate, but our skills with our blades are all that Tyson and I got."

Tyson wished he brought his special launcher now. It would've been able to double for a weapon, but he didn't want to chance the fact that something would happen to it. It was like Kai and he were the weakest point of their group of fighters. "Hey, Max," he looked at him, noticing that he was near Ed, "would you be able to make me the launcher that Kenny made me?"

Max blinked, "I probably could, why?"

"I thought that since we're facing creatures that I shouldn't be holding back. It can also act as a real Kendo sword in case I need to defend someone." He smiled.

Kai was impressed that Tyson was thinking about that. Kai clenched his hands as Kenny started to give Max the layout for that launcher and Tyson was adding stuff to it. All he had was his fist. What good would that do against creatures? He wasn't impressive, like Rei. Was there nothing that he could do but use Dranzer?

"Don't worry about it, Kai." Kai looked beside him to see Rei there, though not looking at him. "Decision making has always been your strong suite." He smiled when he looked at Kai. "Like now; you decided who needed to stay back to keep them at bay."

"I couldn't make up my mind, though." He pointed out.

"Well, you don't know what his limits are and you have some idea as to mine, so maybe you just need to know Max's limit before you can make that call. An outsider can always see the broad more clearly."

Kai nodded, "What were you able to sense?"

"I couldn't sense the Majestics but I could sense the other creatures. I wasn't sure if those ghost were around, and I'm not about to guess."

Could the ghost be bringing out these voices? "What made me think of using Dranzer was a voice." Kai made sure that the others weren't listening. "It told me that in order to see through the darkness that was around me, I had to create a new source of light. I had to let my new eyes see through the darkness."

"Did it sound familiar?"

"I'm not sure… I want to say that it does, but I don't want to chalk up every new voice as someone I had forgotten."

"So you think the voices are connected to the ghosts?"

"They could be… And I'm hoping not."

Max noticed that Kai and Rei were by themselves again. He went to listening to Kenny, though wishing that he could stop Rei and Kai from being alone in their world. The mechanics of the Kendo launcher wasn't all that difficult, especially after the automail arm that was made, and Max was even going to improve the modifications that Tyson wanted, all being child's play.

"Are you feeling okay, Max?" Tyson asked.

Max noticed that even Kai and Rei stopped to look at him. Max laughed a bit, moving his hand away from his chest in form a gesture of not to worry, "I'm fine. I'm fine."

Rei came over to Max, making Max divert his eyes for a reason other than a lie. Rei placed his hand on Max's forehead, making Max close his eyes to hide again. "You don't feel cold. So, what's wrong?" Rei removed his hand, making Max open his eyes.

He smiled at Rei, "I said I was fine, Rei. You got to trust your partner." Max tapped Rei's chest with the back of his fist. "Oh, I've been meaning to ask. Are we going in the right direction?"

"You think we're not?" Kai asked.

"Well, we're following the river, but it's moved in the same direction, meaning that we're moving away from the source of the river. I was just wondering if that was right."

Kai took out the map and everyone waited. He looked over it carefully, "I think we're going in the right direction." He walked over to everyone else, showing the map to everyone. He pointed to a source to which many rivers were connected, "This seems to be the source of this river, and the center is over here." He pointed to where it was a building like thing. They had assumed that this was the center, since it was placed as such. The source of the river was closer to the edge of the page than the center.

"That just seems really weird," Max said, "but alright."

"Do you think that there are some creatures that live in the waters?" Tyson asked, looking at the river beside them.

"Probably," Rei said, "but I'm sure that we'll be okay. I'm wondering if it contains any fish." He walked over to the river. He stopped at the banks and looked into the crystal clear water, not seeing anything. They were too close to turbine water for the fish liking. "I don't see any right now, but there might be some down some ways." Rei said as he walked back.

Kai noticed that the snow wasn't all that bad around here. "How is everyone's feet before we continue." Max had cleared snow as they walked, he figured.

Everyone else had nearly forgotten about that. Max touched his amulet and the snow near them and on the path they were taking cleared. "Sorry, I kinda forgot."

"We should keep going before we stop for the night." Rei said, "We'll take care of our feet then. It's not that cold out yet, though we should stop earlier than we normally do to make sure we have enough time to change before it becomes really cold."

Kai nodded, "Let's get going, then."

"But what about lunch?" Tyson asked as everyone was walking.

"I figured there would be a time where we couldn't stop walking so I made snacks." Rei smiled. "I'll give those out later, though."

Kai wondered when he had the time to make something like that, but figured that Rei wouldn't lie about food. He remembered that Rei said that they had plenty of food in the beginning, so he wondered why they were worrying about meat now, anyway. But, Kai figured that Rei wouldn't lie about food. Not with how Rei freaks over snow.

Rei handed out the sandwiches he had prepared when they first stop to eat a few hours a later. He had been keeping this frozen so nothing would be rotting by the time they needed to eat them. He gave everyone two, since he wanted to save the others he had made for an emergency. They were all the same, so that no one would be able to complain, if they wanted to.

Kai was glad that Rei was eating what he made. He wondered if worrying about everyone else was helping him forget about being fearful of this place. Or was it the constant danger that they were in preventing the memories to return? He could see the sun through the trees, seeing that it was slowly setting. He figured that Rei would tell him when it was a good time to stop.

When Rei wanted to stop to set up camp, he suddenly heard a noise coming from the forest. He walked to the other side of Kai before stopping, since he was protecting Kai from anything that could appear from the river.

Everyone else got ready, not sure what Rei was hearing, but knew that something was coming. Max was also keeping an eye on the river, figuring that Rei was beforehand. They suddenly heard a female scream and Rei took off running. The others followed, not understanding why Rei took off.

Rei knew that voice anywhere. Mariah was seen, running from a group of creatures. "Mariah!" He yelled as he went faster.

"Rei!" She yelled back, the word unable to capture her mixed emotions. Rei brought out his staff and started to attack the creatures that were after his kin.

Kai noticed what was going on and Mariah had stopped to watch Rei's display. Kai ran over to her, taking hold of her hand and forced her to run with them. "Rei, move it!" He ordered as they headed back to the others.

Rei jumped to avoid a swing and landed on his feet. He quickly did the hand motion for the Breath of the Fireball, setting fire to the forest a bit and keeping them still. He fused with Byakko so he could find them. He was jumping through the trees, finding them quickly and noticed that they were still running. He turned back around, setting up small traps in a small area to keep those creatures away from them before going back to them. They needed to stop more than run. When he got back to them, he noticed that Kai was heading back to the river, though making sure that they got some distance on it. He wondered how safe that plan was, but figured it was better than setting camp completely surrounded by the forest. He landed behind them, and was running along with them.

When they had reached the river, everyone was breathing hard, especially Mariah. Rei went over to her, "Are you okay?" He asked soothingly.

"Rei!" She threw herself on him, wrapping her tired arms around his neck and sobbing on his shoulder. Rei sat on the ground, pulling her closer and comforted her.

Kai moved away from them, "We'll set up but don't use your Alchemy." He said quietly so he wouldn't disturb them. "Gather as much wood as you can carry," He looked at Tyson, Kenny and Ed, "and you go into the trees to create a cover for us."

Max wondered why since he said to not use his Alchemy, but then realized that he didn't want Mariah to see it. He kinda wondered why, but didn't want to look at her right now. He nodded and jumped into the tree before climbing it to get a good spot where she wouldn't be able to hear the sounds. He did the same thing that he did the first time they camped. He also created a barrier around them with the trees, but far enough so she wouldn't see it. He started to cough, but pressed himself against the tree to stop anyone from hearing it. It was getting colder. He got back down when he knew he wouldn't cough.

Rei was still with Mariah when food was being cooked by Kai and handed out. Kai figured that Rei wouldn't care all that much about what he used since she was around. She looked like she's been through a lot, and with what they've experienced, they how much it was probably scaring her. She clung to Rei like he was all she had left. That wasn't a good feeling to the rest of the White Tigers fate.

Kai handed Rei their food, though it was only one portion. He decided that if she needed more, he would give up his own so she could eat. Everyone was trying to be respectful, but her face was something that they couldn't ignore. He had looked to see if there was any fish in the river, and there was.

Rei was talking to her in their tongue, but Kai decided not to listen in. He was right now feeding her since she wasn't letting go of his arm. She hadn't said a word yet, and it did look like she didn't have any food for days, by the way she was eating what Rei gave her. Kai studied her a bit, realizing that she did look a bit like Rei when he was being denied food, but not as bad as him.

Tyson felt really bad for her, and noticed that Rei didn't care what she thought of Wu as he took care of her. He wondered how strong their bond was, since Tyson just realized that if anyone else showed up, Rei would've done the same thing. Was Wu just higher than all of them?

Max didn't like how Mariah was getting all of Rei's attention, but it was understandable. It wasn't like Rei was his, and Max could never told him how he really feels. This scene was supposed to happen. This was the right choice. Max wasn't feeling up to eating, but was doing so because he didn't want to show that he was depressed. He was leaning on Ed, which was the best comfort he could get right now.

When they were done, Kai was cleaning the dishes, and Rei was trying to cheer up Mariah. "You think she'll be okay?" Tyson asked Kai when he was done and over with them.

"I wish I knew." They had their socks and shoes drying out by the fire. The stars were out now, Kai noticed. "This isn't going to be good for her mind, though."

Tyson nodded, "I hope we don't have to face the White Tigers?"

"Why?" Kenny asked.

"I don't want to know what Rei would do to free them himself. I'm sure he'll get emotional over it."

Kai believed that as well, seeing how much he still cares for his teammates. They were still the kids back in the village. Kai wondered what their petite fights in the past were and how easily they forgave each other so they could all play together again. Max then started to cough, though it wasn't bad.

"Kai, can you get my bag.."

"I'm fine." Max said firmly, hearing that Rei wasn't going to leave her. Max knew this wasn't a good emotion to show, but he was hurt.

Kai got up the same. He went over to Rei's bag and brought it over to Rei. He searched with one hand and gave Kai what was needed to make the drink that he made Max before.

"I said I'm fine." Max glared at them, not wanting to be taken care of this way.

"Max," Tyson said, "don't go telling us that coughing from you means nothing."

"It is this time." Kai came over with a cup in his hand, "I don't need it, Kai."

"I'm not banning you from doing anything if you drink this." Kai said, as if that was the problem. Max tapped his amulet while glaring at Kai and the water shot up in the air. Kai moved it away from everyone, getting hot water only on his arm.

Ed punched Max in the head, "Take it, shrimp."

"No, half pint." Max held his head as he looked at Ed.

Ed picked up Max in his arms and started walking away, "We'll be back." Max didn't struggle in Ed's arms, but he didn't look all that happy, either.

"You okay?" Tyson asked Kai, since he took the attack.

"Yeah, I'm fine." He sighed, since that stunt somehow made Max a kid too. "Krypton must like kids." He commented lowly before heading back over to the fire to make another one.

Tyson giggled, understanding why Rei was referred to as a kid.

"I'm not jealous." Max said as he started to cry quietly on Ed. "Why couldn't he leave her for a moment?"

Ed rested his head on Max's, holding Max and standing. Ed didn't take off his shoes since his boots were really thick. "I don't know, Max." Max continued to cry, understanding he needed to calm down.

Kai was impressed by Max. He had thought that Max needed to place his palm on his chest to use his Alchemy, but all he did was move a finger. He wondered if that was how he was able to fool them when they battle. Did he make it look like something else while touching it? Moments later, Ed came back and Max looked to be asleep.

"Is he asleep?" Kai asked.

"Yeah, sorry." Ed sat close to the fire, "The drink is supposed to warm up the body, right?" He looked at Rei.

He nodded. Kai gave it to Ed as he got up, "I'll get you a blanket then."

"Thanks." Ed drank it before moving Max so that his chest wasn't exposed. Kai gave Ed the blanket that he was using, and Ed wrapped it around himself and making sure it folded over Max. "Sorry for earlier."

Kai thought it was funny that Ed was doing the brotherly thing to do in this situation, "Don't worry about it. We should all probably get some sleep." Kai said before moving to get Rei's blanket out.

Rei coaxed Mariah to let go of his arm and moved her to be in front of him. Kai handed his blanket to them and Rei wrapped it around them. Mariah soon fell asleep. "You okay?" Kai asked once she was fully asleep.

"Yeah." He looked at her, "I've never seen her like this before. I don't think I've ever saw her this afraid before."

"We'll take care of everything else." Tyson said, "You just focus on getting her to smile."

Rei smiled and nodded, glad that they understood, "Is Max okay?" He looked Ed.

"Yeah, he's fine. He wasn't cold like last time, but I'm sure that we should keep him warmed up."

"Does Max not need to touch the water to use it?" Kai asked, not going to ask about the whole hand thing.

"Liquid states and gases states are a lot different from solid states. Most people that I know use solid states more than the other two. He developed his own style since I only once observed water being used for Alchemy and he wanted to be able to use water."

Kai nodded, not really sure if that answered his question, but decided that was good enough. "Mariah can't know about Max." Kai looked at Rei.

"I'll follow, but why?"

"If we weren't in our current situation, we wouldn't even know about it. It would be the same if someone from one of the other teams appeared to us un-switched."

Rei nodded, "Night." He pulled Mariah closer and fell asleep as well. Kai looked at Kenny and Tyson, seeing that they had already fallen asleep. Kai grabbed his blanket and sat down near the fire.

"How close is Mariah to Rei?" Ed asked. "I mean, didn't Rei yell at her before entering here?"

Kai now wanted to know where he was hiding in order to see that and not be found out. "That was then and this is now. He hadn't forgotten about it, but he moved on from it. I believe that's how he is with his kin. And Mariah is special to him." Kai looked at them, seeing that Rei looked a bit more at peace. "It was obvious from when I first saw them interacting that they had a thing for each other."

"Who was the girl she punched?"

"That was Rei's sister. He's also very protective of his family." Kai looked Ed, "So if anyone messes with his old teammates or his family, he won't be the cool-headed guy that you've been seeing." Kai didn't want to mention about Byakko, knowing that he would fuse with him instantly and go wild, like he almost did on the ship. "I've never seen him go all out on someone before, but I saw how quickly he can lose his cool."

"Would he be the same with you guys?"

"Probably not." Kai looked at the fire, "He doesn't see us as family."

"You sound so sure. I've seen that you guys have gotten stronger as a group."

"And that means what?" Kai looked at him, not sure what he was getting at. "We're only now learning about his past. It's not like he trusts us with it."

"But you…"

"I know what I said. He's beginning to trust us. That's a whole different story from his kin, who he can trust with his life. That's why I'm worried about meeting up with them. If they are turned, I know Rei won't just stand by and do nothing about it." And Kai knew that there would be nothing he could do about it. How can he stop a tiger from attacking? "By the way," Kai looked at Ed, "in your opinion, who would win if Rei and Max fought with just their new abilities?"

"Meaning?"

"Rei uses his ninjutsu and Max uses his Alchemy. Who would win if they fought? I guess I'm asking about the difference in the level of skill and power in the two different styles." Kai thought it was funny that Krypton had such a power house and didn't even know it, now thinking about it. "And seriously think about before saying Alchemy."

"Why? Why does it even matter? They're partners, after all."

"I hesitated back there. I didn't know who was better at causing a distraction so we could escape. I know Rei's abilities pretty well but I don't know Max's. I don't want to know everything, since he had tried to keep it from us, but I need to know what I can use it for when we're fighting. Those two are pretty much the only ones in our group that can fight against the creatures with their hands."

"You're making it sound like you're just using them." Ed pointed out, "They're not animals."

"I know the difference and I don't want to send them in if I don't know for sure that they could come back unharmed, but Tyson and I can't do all that much. Our Bit Beasts are strong, but I rather save our Beyblades for the real matches so they don't get damaged. Tyson is getting a weapon soon, and I got nothing."

"You fought Max all the time with just your fist."

"I'm not like Rei. I was just learning how to throw a punch right before coming here. I'm sure you could fight against them since you trained Max, but I'm no where near your level."

Ed looked at Max before nodding, "Max is a genius when it comes to Alchemy, no matter what his current state of being is. I was a prodigy at the age of twelve, so believe me when I say that he surpasses me. He's also a great strategist."

Kai nodded, "Thanks, that's good enough for me to make a decision." And the rest of the night was quiet.

In the morning, Mariah was going a lot better. She wasn't moving away from Rei, but she was showing more emotion. Kai wondered if she needed to feel safe before she could talk again. As they were walking, she had her arms around one of Rei's, though she wasn't hiding from the world.

Max didn't want to know what they were doing. Ed made sure that he didn't look at them when he woke this morning. So, instead he started to practice Alchemy. Ed and he were behind everyone, like usual, but Tyson and Kenny were around Kai. Max was using the river as his material. Draciel was spinning on top of the water, following them as they walked nearby. Kai didn't want them to be that close to the river, just enough to see the clearing that it created. If they were to be attacked, they needed a path and a freezing river was probably not the best path. Still, with his amulet connecting Max to Draciel, it was like Max was right there at the river edge.

Max periodically changed the temperature under Draciel to see what would happen in his new state. It was like how it was before when he used Draciel. Max was beginning to notice that this world only affected touchable things. The water had the same special material that made it changeable with less material. It was like the Philosopher Stone that Ed had spent most of his life searching for and how he came to understand the gate. But, the air around them didn't contain it. It seemed like it had the same elements that their atmosphere had. He wondered why that was, since it existed in a liquid and a solid state. Max looked up, wondering if traces of it could be found higher up, like Helium.

"What are you doing?" Ed asked.

"I was wondering why I can't sense that element in the air." Max said quietly, following Ed. "I was wondering if it was like Helium."

Ed nodded, "Maybe, but we can't find that out, can we?"

Max nodded, looking forward again, knowing that Ed knew that he was practicing. Max then had Draciel form a fire transmutation circle. He had it small so it wouldn't attract attention and touched his amulet to send his energy to it. Ed had told him about the abilities of the Gate before and after meeting it. Before the Gate, one would have to draw the circle to create a space in which material could be use, but only the amount that you put in. Special symbols had to be drawn within the circle or on the parameter. They had to be perfect and in the proper place in order to use Alchemy right. A symbol in the wrong spot could result in a different outcome of reconstruction than what you intended. An Alchemist releases the energy contained in circle and controls the final product. If you don't release enough energy or if you release too much, you get a crappy product.

After encountering the gate, these concepts stay the same but the method becomes different. Max understands what Ed was saying better, now that he had obtained the knowledge from the Gate. The body contains all the special symbols needed to use Alchemy within. It was like body was created to perform Alchemy all along. That could be why a baby could open the Gate at Ed's final battle in his world. Max figured out that a piece of death was also needed to be present, but maybe that was the wrong thinking. What if all that was needed to open such a Gate was to gather all special symbols in front of it as material? That was too weird, Max realized, so decided to stay with his piece of death theory since the Gate still demanded something in exchange for its vast knowledge. Clapping the hands together created the transmutation circle and the Alchemist would then release particular symbols within to control the material that the hands touch.

But, Max learned that this wasn't the only way to do it. The energy that an Alchemist uses is located at the center of the body. The hands are the easiest route for that energy to take and since it gathers in the hands, why bother sending it else where? Max learned by having used Draciel for his Alchemy that there are many paths that the energy could take if the opening is given. Having his amulet near the center of his body probably would help with sending energy to Draciel a lot quicker, but Max isn't comfortable with it just yet. He knows how to send his own energy to control and guide Draciel for Beybattles and he knows how to send his own energy to control and guide Draciel for Alchemic things, but he wasn't sure if using the same route for a Beybattle could be use for a route for Alchemy.

Max could also use his Alchemy to collect the data from the material he was using, developing it because of this world. When he was here last and needed to use alchemy for fights, there was always something off about what he was doing, as if he didn't know how to control what he was creating. Draciel sent the information back to him through their connection, feeling an area of a few kilometers in radius. Max could direct it anywhere and could even create a sphere of data collecting. Now that he could use his body, he could only use his hands for collecting the data, but the range wasn't as great. That's how Max was able to figure out this world was entering Kai. This same data collecting could also be use as a pathway for energy to flow.

As a small flame formed on top of the water, Max wondered if he could use it to know what happens to those that get switched over. He looked at his hand, knowing that the best way to test that is to use it on someone switched over. But if there was nothing or if there was some amount of this world within them, then what would those mean? It could mean that they're like Kai or that this world could also being absorbed into the body. No other team was as well prepared for a long trip as they were, so they probably ate food from this world. Max lifted the palm away from Ed's sight to collect Mariah's element data. There were only the normal elements, meaning that this world doesn't enter the body. He targeted Kai, seeing that he still had this world within him. No one else did on their team.

Max also remembered that the creatures had a lot of the new material within them. They also didn't have a lot of physical elements like normal animals do. So, now realizing that the new element allows for things to change with very little material present must mean that they can change their shape. Max wondered how they would be able to pull such a thing. Was this element the true Philosopher Stone? Max remembered that Ed said his Philosopher Stones were created with large amount of people. Was the same process needed here? Maybe TK had the answers. They did say that TK and Patamon are linked in a special way if Tyson compared them to their relationship with their Bit Beast.

Or maybe it only seemed like that since it was the only way for Tyson to understand it. Max wished he was up during then, so he would be able to study what was going on with them. It might help him understand how the creatures change. What if they had told one of them about the change that can occur with the creatures? Max never saw it himself while he was here last.

"Ed," Ed looked at Max, "did you ever see the creatures transform?"

Ed thought about it for a moment, "I didn't, why?"

"They also have that special material within them, meaning that they should be able to change their shape."

"Well, Tyson did mention when he got back from talking to TK that Patamon can evolve and that TK is Patamon's source of energy. Normal creatures have to fight to change. What are you thinking?"

Max looked at everyone else, wondering who was listening. Max pulled out his journal and started to write down his ideas that he had developed so far. On one hand so that he could remember what he had figured out about these creatures and to put down his results of what he had learned about his abilities this morning.

"What's Max doing?" Tyson asked as they were setting up for lunch. About mid-morning, Tyson noticed that Max had been writing something down in the journal that he once gave Ed. Ed was catching the fishes from the river since the water was a lot calmer for them to gather. Rei was cooking along with Mariah, who was gaining more and more expression by the passing hour.

"Beats me." Kai said as he was waiting around. He would normally be helping Rei with the preparations, but Mariah was helping with that.

"I got us some meat." Ed said when he returned with a lot of fishes.

"Thanks." Rei said as Ed handed it over. Ed went over to Max, sitting down next to him. Kai realized that Max didn't help with anything as he was writing down whatever was so important. When the food was ready, Ed was kept most of Max's food that could be stored.

"Is he not going to eat?" Tyson asked, knowing how important food was on this trip.

"He's busy, so he doesn't really realize that he should stop." Ed smiled.

"What does that mean?" Rei asked.

"He's attention is mostly on writing and not on anything else."

Everyone knew that Ed wasn't going to stay anything more, but Max was also focusing on something else while he was writing. They figured that Max was using his Alchemy, but they weren't sure as to what. Rei knew that they talked for a few seconds, but he was focusing on Mariah that he wasn't paying attention. Now he wished he had so he knew what Max was doing. It had always looked like Max needed to have a lot of concentration to use Alchemy, but was this proving that wrong? With Mariah, they might never know.

"Finished!" Max said once he got down his observation on his progress. "Here Ed." Max handed over his journal so he could read what Max discovered without anyone else learning about it.

"Thanks, here's your food. We're about to head out." Ed handed a wrapped up something to Max as he took the book.

Max looked around him, seeing that Ed was right. He smiled at everyone, seeing that they all wanted to know what he was doing, but couldn't ask. Max knew that they were eating since Draciel was helping Ed with fishing and was doing random transmutation circles as he was writing down everything. Max helped with cleaning up before eating what he was given. Ed was in his own mode of concentration. He was deciphering what Max wrote and reading it over and over again to understand it. Max was told that Alchemist wrote down what they observe and do so in secret writing. Since Max only knew Beyblades to any great extend, he decided that Beyblades, Bit Beast, battle tactics, battle attacks and Beybladers were all his codes. Because of this, Ed was able to decipher what Max wrote down faster than most others' since Max had explained all the meanings to him. Max could also read Ed's code fast because Ed told him his stories and his journal is composed of traveling.

"Is Max only sharing with Ed?" Tyson asked, seeing that Ed was in the same mode as Max was munching down on his food.

"Probably." Kai said, looking at them as well, "I mean, Max does trust him and he is the one that taught him alchemy."

"That is just making me want to know more what he wrote down."

"Don't let it get to you."

"You're not curious?" Kenny asked. "I mean, I want to know since this is something that I'm not familiar with and it could improve Beyblades."

"This is his thing. It's not our place to learn all about it. That's why I don't know everything that Rei knows, since I want him to keep some surprises for us to see."

Tyson nodded, looking at Rei. He noticed that Mariah was now making sounds, though he wasn't sure if they were talking since Rei was talking in a foreign language. "I think Rei is about to get her to talk."

"They are talking." Kai said.

"Really? You're listening in?"

"I know what their language sounds like." Kai had talked to Rei enough in that language, or at least heard Rei speak it enough to know what it sounds like. Mariah was now able to talk, but Kai didn't want to push her to talking about her experience. They needed to be gentle with her, especially since her prince was around to guard her. Kai looked up at the leaves, wondering how Jade was doing right now.

"You might be right, Max." Ed said as the sun was lowering in the sky. "It does seem to fit." He handed the journal back.

"I could still be missing something." Max pointed out, feeling that he was missing something.

"I'll be studying too, so you don't have anything to worry about it." Ed smiled.

Max nodded, smiling, "Awesome."

" Are you feeling okay? " Ed asked in German. They weren't very good at it, but they could say simple things.

" Yeah. " Max smiled. Max knew that he was talking about his usage of Alchemy since Draciel was still doing random arrays on the water as well as scanning. Max wrote down that he wanted to test how much Alchemy he could use before he started to feel his chest feeling cold. It was important since he needed to know what conditions could he not use his Alchemy because he was too exhausted. So far, he wasn't feeling anything, but the sun was going down.

"You should read your journal."

Max opened it up and noticed that Ed wrote something in there with his code. Max smiled before nodding, "I will."

Rei noticed that they were speaking in code, though he didn't switch his hearing when they spoke in another language since he was talking to Mariah. Rei wondered if he could get a hold of Max's journal thing to read what they were saying. A good ninja would be able to, he thought with a smile.

":Mariah:" Rei said as they were picking a spot for their camp, ":Do you think you could tell us about what happened to you?:"

She looked away from Rei, ":Do I have to?:"

"It's the reason I didn't ask. We all need to know what's going on."

"It's not like I understand anything. I've been running around."

"We're all thinkers, so it's fine." Rei smiled.

Mariah nodded. Everyone was helping with the set up and Ed and Max went to get the fish.

"Are you feeling cold?" Ed asked as they were at the edge of river.

"Nope." Max said as he touched his amulet and the fishes were jumping out of the river and Ed was catching them. "It is a lot colder now, but I'm not feeling it on my chest." Max stopped when they had enough.

"Try your after Gate." Ed looked at him as he tied the fishes together.

Draciel came back to Max and Max clapped his hands together. He kicked a tree, sending the energy through the tree, unchanging the inner structure as Max found a good branch for Tyson new sword. Max made it as light as a Kendo sword, as strong as metal and as hard since it's also his launcher. It fell out of the tree and Max smiled before coughing. He coughed next to the tree, knowing that he couldn't expose his chest to the elements. He suddenly got cold, and he realized that it was by the amount he was using Alchemy this way.

"You okay?" Ed asked as he picked up the new launcher.

Max nodded, "I don't think I should use that method during the night around here."

Ed looked up, "Only use it when it's going towards noon, so a bit before lunch and a bit after."

Max nodded, knowing why. The sun hadn't set yet, but it was cold enough for him to feel the affects of it. "I think using that leaves me momentary weak. I'm not sure how to explain it, since it's like the cold is just sucked in and I can't do anything about it."

"Just so you know I never had that problem before whenever I used it." Ed said as they headed back. "But, it might have to do with the fact that you lost ribs and your insides are being more exposed."

"It doesn't make sense, though, that my clothes couldn't prevent the cold from coming inside. That's what they are supposed to do."

"I'm not about to let you test if it does or not." Ed said, looking at him. "At least, not now."

Max nodded. "I'll get some tea when we eat."

"Good idea."

"Wow, you guys must know how to fish." Tyson said as they entered camp.

"We know a few tricks." Max said, giving them to Rei, "Could I have some tea with my meal, Rei?"

Rei looked at him with concern on his face as everyone else fell silent at the request. Rei sighed, "What do you think you're doing?"

"I just asked for tea." Max was trying to play it off as no big deal. Mariah looked like she didn't understand what happened yesterday. "Thanks Rei." Max smiled before going over to where Tyson was. Max pointed to the fish in front of him before heading over to Ed.

Tyson looked, seeing that the fishes were attached to his new launcher! It didn't look like they were damaging it, but Tyson wondered why Max thought it was okay to use his alchemy now to make it. Surely there was a better time for it. "Hey, Rei." Tyson went over to him, "Doesn't that fish look funny?"

Rei gave him a weird look, though looking at the fish he was pointing to. He noticed that he was missing the fish pile and pointing to the stick, but making it look like he was pointing to some imaginary fish. "Yeah, it does. Do you want to eat it, then?"

"You think it's safe?"

"Should be safe enough." Rei smiled, thinking it was funny how they were able to cover up what they were really doing. Since when were Max and Tyson this good at hiding their actions? Was everyone learning it from Rei?

"Okay, as long as you think so. I just hope nothing happens."

Rei laughed. "What fish?" Mariah asked in Japanese.

"This one." Rei randomly picked one up.

"What's so funny about it?" Mariah gave Rei a weird look.

"We thought it looked weird." Tyson said with a smile.

"It looks like all the others."

"Come on, Tyson," Max said, "You really think we would keep a bad fish?"

"You're that good at fishing?" Kai asked, actually wondering if there was a way to tell a sick fish other than by obvious signs.

"I can tell a rioting a fish from a live one." Max said in a teasing anger, "I mean, even I can tell if it's moving or not." Rei noticed that the fish that he had in his hand didn't have any puncture wounds nor did the others.

Rei tossed the fish in his hand at Max, making him catch it, "I think you need to get your eyes check. All these are bad fishes."

Max looked at the one thrown to him, wondering why Rei was mad. Max sighed, seeing that it was obvious that he had used his Alchemy on it. "So I can't tell half dead from alive." Max said, handing it back to him, "It won't happen again."

"Why don't I believe you?" Rei was really mad that Max had used it, probably because they're considering coughing to over using it, which wasn't the case.

"Because I'm still learning. You have to give me a break at some point."

"Not if you're going to fail this badly." Rei went on cooking them, "So if anyone falls ill, I'm blaming it on you."

"Fine." Max whined, glad that Rei forgave him.

":Rei:" Rei looked at Mariah, seeing her looking really sad.

":What is it?:"

"Are you that mad at me for what I did to Wu?"

Rei blinked, wondering what she was talking about. "Why do you think I'm still mad at that?"

"Then why were you excluding me?"

"When was I excluding you?"

"Now." She seemed to be about ready to fall into tears.

Rei looked at Kai before lifting up Mariah and walking over to the edge of the camp. "Mariah, we weren't excluding you."

"You were too." She fell onto Rei, "That's what we always did around Wu when we were younger. We excluded her. Are you trying to make me understand her?"

"Mariah, I know what you guys did in the past, but Wu was never excluded in what we did. And you weren't excluded while we were talking. You joined in."

"But I didn't understand anything that was being said and no one bother to clue me in." She started to cry, "I've never felt so alone in my life, Rei."

Rei wrapped his arms around her, still not understanding what she was saying. They weren't excluding her, and she could've asked if she didn't understand. Even though they were coding their real words, it wasn't that hard to guess that they were joking for the most part. He wished he knew what was going on with Mariah.

"What's her problem?" Max asked as he saw Rei hug her, comforting her in a way that Max wanted.

"Probably isn't still stable." Kai guessed, though he did listen in to what they were saying before since he thought it wasn't going to be something that needed to be handled in private.

"Just when I thought she would be okay." Tyson said with a sigh. "Does Jade ever get like that?" Max lowered his head and Ed patted his back.

"She would punch me way before she ever started to cry." Kai didn't want to say that she had her tears dried a long time ago. Kai stabbed the stick that Rei smoothed and stuck it into a fish before placing it near the fire.

"Are you sure that was what he wanted to do?" Kenny asked. "It looked like he wanted to roast them."

"Does the same thing." Kai said as he proceeded to the others.

"That, somehow, seems cruel." Tyson said as Kai finished up.

"Sorry?"

"Good, you got them cooking." Rei said as they came back.

"Was that how you wanted it to look? Or is Kai stabbing them because he's crazy?" Tyson asked before Mariah tried to kick the fishes. Kai grabbed her foot before she got too close.

"Mariah?" Rei asked, though there was some hint in his voice to say that he knew why she did that.

She put her foot down, "I don't want one." She turned around, though didn't move away.

"And a little bit of both." Rei said with a laugh.

"Great to know that I'm a psychopath."

"Nah," Max said, "You don't have that crazy eye. You're a failure at being a psychopath."

"You're a failure at being a fisherman."

"I'm a city boy, what can you except?" Max said with a smile.

"Rei's a country boy, yet he does fine in a city." Tyson said, joining in on the fun.

"Don't go dragging me into this." Rei said, "We country folk like to live as simply as possible."

"You seem more like a monk to me," Ed commented, "though not as pure."

"Are you questioning my holiness?" Rei asked with a smile and a play shock.

":Stop it!:" Mariah yelled suddenly before Ed could comment.

"Mariah," Max said, making her turn around. Max got annoyed that she stopped the play before, but twice in a row? "If you want to join in on the fun, then go ahead. No one is stopping you."

"I can't just join in." She said firmly in Japanese. She looked away.

Before Max said something, Rei shook his head. Max hated that Mariah's tantrum was getting all of Rei's attention. ":What's the real problem?:" Rei asked in a calm voice. ":Since Ed joined in as well, that should show that we're not excluding you. Were you not…:"

"Rei, you were." She said with tears coming out, "I lost Lee and everyone to those monsters and now I'm losing you too." She covered her eyes as she sobbed.

Kai wasn't listening in, but the look on Rei's face said that she probably said the fate of his other kin. Her sobbing was the only thing heard, other than the crackling of the fire. Kai was wondering what was making her so upset. It happened when they were all having fun, which now thinking about it, is kinda strange. But, it came naturally since Jade and Krypton always played such games with them. Kai was pretty much good at it by this point, having lived with Krypton, who constantly threw. Not wanting to be beaten, Kai had to learn to fire back.

There was only one time that he could think of when they were showing how much stronger of a bond their team had to another time, and that was when the All-Starz were in town. Was it that bond that Mariah was talking about? Did that bond that Jade forged made it appear that others can't enter? But she wasn't complaining about it when it was only them firing off insults. It was when Ed entered, this time. Kai figured that Ed was able to feel apart of the team because of Max. It would probably be the same affect if Jinochi was here. He's probably comfortable with this kind of play, since he and Max throw their own insults at each other.

" I think she's referring to our team bond. " Kai said in Russian so only Rei would know.

"+Butt out of this, Kai.+" She yelled at him without looking at him. Tyson was impressed that Kai didn't flinch at her anger. Jade must've been pretty tough.

"+Ed is part of our team now.+" Kai responded with a level voice.

"Then give us back Rei." She looked at Kai, "I'm sure that you don't need him anymore."

"Rei is free to choose what team he wants to be on." Rei thought that was funny, since it was totally not true. But if he did have a choice, which team he would choose, he wondered.

Mariah turned back around, "When we came in here…"

"How about eating something first?" Rei offered, not really wanting to hear what happened to the others just yet.

"Whatever." She said and Kai handed out the fishes. There was soup and tea, since it was getting colder so Kai thought that it would be better if everyone had some. Mariah ate quietly with them, but they also didn't talk since they didn't want to upset her.

"We entered the forest, talking to each other about winning this tournament." Mariah started once everyone was settled for a long narration. "We were given a map, so we were following it as best as we could. We were able to sense that something was always around us, but we could never confirm what it was. The first night, we were ambushed and brought over here. Lee managed to get me free and I've been on the run since. We even saw the All-Starz and the Majestics being taken by the monsters, all of them heading somewhere."

Was that how most of the teams were gotten? They let their guard down at night? Or were the creatures stronger at night? But the same thought occurred in all of the BladeBreakers team; why were those teams switched over? What happened to all the people that didn't have a Bit Beast?

"Did you see my mom?" Max dared to ask, needing to know her fate.

She shook her head, "No, but I also wasn't looking all that much."

Max nodded his head. "Did you run into ghost creatures?"

"They were everywhere." She said, curling up, "With most of the monsters, they were always around. I don't know what they're for, but I know that they can't be for anything good. I don't think we can leave either. Those monsters had to open a portal for us to get here. I doubt we can ever leave this place."

The BladeBreakers looked at each other. Kai thought it was interesting that they were the ones that new the most right now, about the different dimensions and parallel worlds, and the other groups didn't. Did they believe there was no hope in escaping? Kai wondered if they even believe in the tournament anymore.

"We're still thinking of this as a tournament." Kai informed her softly, so not to evoke her wrath, "We're still aiming on winning."

"What? Why bother? We can't leave. We're trapped here." Everyone could see the lost in her eyes. "Why not focus on finding the others? Why not save them?"

"That's not our job." Kai said gently, "The Yami Hunters are taking care of that."

"Why are you letting strangers save your friends? Your family?" She looked at Rei.

"If we could save them, we would." Kai said, bringing her back to him, "But we don't have the means or the understanding in order to save them. Jade and Krypton are trapped in here somewhere, and I can only guess that they've been switched too. If we could save them, then we would, but if we can't, we have to do the thing that they would want us to do and that is to win this tournament. I want to believe that all of this craziness will end once this tournament is over."

"Then you're a fool for thinking so." She glared, "How can this horror end just by winning a tournament? That's just foolishness. Why weren't you guys caught?"

"Luck or dumb luck," Kai answered, "and knowing when to fight and when to run. We're not going to waste our energies on creatures that we could just distract and escape."

"How did you guys get here?"

"Through a cave." Max answered, "We followed the tunnel all the way to the end." That just reminded him that he has yet to see the rock piece that came out, though the aftermath was clear. They were walking down that until the All-Starz appeared. "Did you have to face a blizzard?"

She shook her head, having fear of another kind in her eyes. "When did you face this blizzard?"

No one was sure how to answer this since they didn't want to frighten her. "On the second day." Rei said.

"I've been here since then." She lowered her chin to her knees. "See, we're not going to get out of here."

"We will, Mariah." Rei smiled at her, "We'll get out of here and think of this as a bad experience."

That wasn't easing her fears and it wasn't putting in any hope for her either. Did she really believe that they were done for? Kai knew that this wasn't the way to think. If they didn't have any hope that they would survive, then how will they make it out? Somehow, he was vaguely remembering something about never losing one's hope or else you will always be lost.

With no other words spoken, everyone went to bed. Kai was looking into the fire, wondering why only the ones with Bit Beast were switched over. He also wondered what happened to the volunteers and other teams that had entered the forced. Were they switched over as well, did something worst become their fate? Kai was remembering the car that they took when they were escaping that one time. The key was in the ignition and there weren't any signs that something awful happened to the driver and crew. It seemed like they just vanished, or had stepped out and never came back.

Kai looked at the leaves above, wondering what the sky looked like now. He wondered why he was so fascinated by the sky these past few days. Maybe it was because Rei could tell so much by it.

In the morning, they did their same routine. Max sent Draciel back to the river and started to practice Rendanshu so he could start to get a feel for that. Max was noticing how much more he could observe while using Rendanshu. It was also easier to use Rendanshu since some parts required the user to be far away from the source of the alchemic presence.

"I'll be right back." Max said before running off to the river. The idea of testing this new element had popped into his head. He didn't want to wait to test it, being all too eager.

When he reached the river, he had Draciel create a large pool of water, getting it to be as pure as possible.

"What are you doing, Max?" Ed asked as he came up and Max was touching his amulet.

"I have to try this." Max said as he was getting the other elements out of the water. "I need to know how this element works."

"What do you think your doing?" He heard Tyson, but Max wasn't about to stop.

"I have to do this."

"Do you want to get sick again?"

"I'm doing it in a way that won't get me sick."

Tyson was wondering why Ed wasn't doing anything to stop Max as he walked over to him. Tyson took hold of Max's shoulder, "We're going back."

Max had all the impurities out. The outline of the amulet started to glow and Max sent his energy to Draciel, probably sending more than needed since he wasn't sure how much would be needed for this. From the pool of water floating above the river come a sudden flash and in the water's place stood a sword of metal. Tyson stood there, wondering what was going on as Max walked over to the edge. Max took hold of the sword, feeling to make sure it was real. Max could tell that this sword contained a lot of this world's element, but it also changed the hydrogen and oxygen atoms to the elements that made up this sword. "Amazing." Max murmured before he noticed that something was coming their way. He had Draciel jump back to him before turning around, "Something's coming. We have to move."

Tyson nodded, though still in confusion as to what happened with the sword, but also didn't want to think about it all that much. He nodded that Max didn't care enough about it to keep it as they were running back to the others.

Kai and Rei didn't like that they were running, but Rei didn't see anything chasing them. "What's wrong?" Rei asked, holding tight to Mariah.

"Something coming this way." Max reported. They stopped near them, "I'm not sure where from, but something had come close to us. Max only noticed that carbon base beings had stepped into his Data collecting range, and most of the creatures have carbon in them.

"Let's get moving again." Kai said, knowing that Max wouldn't lie at this point and knew that Rei wasn't sensing anything. Everyone started to move and Max wished that Rei didn't have sharp ears. Otherwise, he would be having Draciel spin near him. His own range for data collecting isn't as great as Draciel's and Draciel had to be spinning in order to use it. He didn't want them to know that Draciel was his first way of using Alchemy, since he knows that they think that Max could always use his hands.

"What did you leave in the water?" Ed asked.

"Hydrogen, oxygen and this world element. I guess I should come up with a name for it."

"Once you know where we are, give it a name. What was the sword made up of?"

"Metal alloys." Max said with a smile, "There was a higher concentration of this element than of the other two, as if it was independent of the other two so it didn't need to balance all that much with molecules." Though, Max realized that wouldn't explain why it wasn't found in the air.

"So, this element can change one element to another? That's some power and does seem to be a Philosopher Stone."

"Well, if you ever need it when you go back, you know where to get it from."

"But I don't even know how to get here." Ed pointed out.

"I'm sure we'll discover that. This is what your whole life was about." Max smiled.

Ed smiled, rubbing Max's head. Rei wasn't able to listen in since Mariah kept distracting him. He could tell that they were talking about whatever Max ran off to do and wanted to know. Rei guessed that Mariah was now more tuned into when he wasn't paying attention to her and was making sure that he did. Was she that afraid of being alone now? Rei didn't know what to do, since he had never seen her like this before. She was always smiling and cheerful.

He suddenly felt something in front of them, stopping Mariah and moving her behind him, "Stop."

The three in the front stopped and got their launchers out. Max got out Draciel and Ed was looking around. Max started to feel around him, seeing that it was a carbon base being with this world inside of them. That means that it could be creatures or something else. Nothing else was within the range of Max's hands, but he also couldn't see a number, if there was. "It's only in front of us." Max said, "but I can't tell how many or who."

Rei was impressed that Max could know something like that. "There are three." Rei said, taking hold of Mariah's hand firmly, already knowing who was coming their way since they were no longer hiding. "What else can you tell?" Rei held his face as to not give it away as to who was going to face them.

"They have this world within them," Max noticed that they were all of the same quality, "So it's either creatures or something else."

Rei wasn't sure what to do. Should he tell everyone to run or should he have everyone stay? He looked at Mariah, who was looking at him with fear in her eyes. He smiled at her, "You'll be okay." He looked at Kai and Tyson, "Kai, make sure that Mariah is safe."

Kai looked at him like he was crazy as he hoped that Rei didn't just lose his cool. He nodded just the same and moved back towards them, "You're not going without your partner." He said as he got to where Rei was, just realizing what was going on.

"Let's go, Max." Rei looked at him before moving beyond Tyson.

Max followed, now realizing that Rei probably had known whom was coming towards them. What was Rei going to do? Was he going to save them or was he going to fight them?

"Hello, Rei." Lee said when they reached them.

I wonder how creepy that was. I mean, they had already known that they were switched, but that sounded so different from the other two groups that they had faced. I'm sure that it wasn't like they were saying it in a creepy way, but still. And can you believe that all of this craziness has only taken four days? Four days! You can travel America in that amount of time. And they haven't even gotten to the center yet. I wonder why they're running low on food now, anyway.


	24. Chap 23 Future for All, Tiger Come Forth

FOUR DAYS!! Four days! Epics should be the only thing that last that long, seriously. Does it really take that long to reach a center? What if they were on a time limit? They would lose the tournament before they had even reached the center. They need to learn to be more conscious of their time. FOUR DAYS!

"Hello, Rei."

Rei was staring at his former team, seeing that they looked normal. Rei believed Max when he said that they were switched, though. "What's with the face?" Kevin asked, "We're not here to fight you."

"Do you know where Mariah is?" Lee asked.

"Mariah is missing? What happened to you guys?" Rei asked in a way that sounded like he believed them. Max wondered what was going on until he looked at Rei's face. He didn't trust them and it was hurting him that they were this way. Would they have to save them because of their connection to Rei or could they leave them like the other two? The creepiest thing about this encounter was that you could hardly tell that they were switched, unlike the other two. If he hadn't looked, he would believe that they were able to escape, like Mariah.

"We had run into… monsters and got separated in here."

"You don't look all that concern about finding her." Rei pointed out. "In fact, you didn't look all that happy to see me either."

"Either do you." Kevin argued back.

"I was never separated from my team."

"Where are they now? I don't see Kai anywhere." Grey said.

Max and Rei looked at each other, wondering why they were mentioning Kai. Normally, other teams would mention Tyson since he's the most out-going out of their group. Both their eyes widen at the same time, with the same remembrance of Australia. Those creatures were going after Kai as well. Were those creatures and these the same kind? Max wished he knew the answered, but wondered if there was a way for those creatures to come into their world. "What do you want to do?" Max asked, going to follow Rei's lead.

"If you want to know so badly, you have to fight us to get to them." Rei said to them. If this seemed out of character to Max, Rei understood why. His mission, given to him by Krypton, was to protect Kai. If Krypton did know about these creatures going after him, or that maybe these creatures would use Kai to get to Jade, then all the more reason to listen to that order now than ever. Rei was almost sure that Krypton didn't know that Kai was probably more important than Jade, though that could be the fact that they already had Jade and Krypton. But, if they did, why did they also want Kai?

Lee smiled, "That's fine by me. How do you want to do this?"

"Two on two." Rei said, getting his launcher ready. "I don't need to hide, but I'll hide you." Rei whispered to Max.

"Are you sure?" Max got his launcher ready as well.

"Yeah, if they can access their memories, then they would know a lot about me to begin with." Rei showed a bit of concern when he realized that, Max noticed. Max wondered if it's because of that mother that he's fearful. Was she that important to Rei that she can't be known to any outsider?

"One!" Max called when they were ready.

"I hope they know what they're doing." Tyson said as they were hiding in the trees to the far east of them. Kai was keeping Mariah from yelling to her team, though she was crying, seeing that they were already switched.

"I do too." Kai actually thought that Rei would try to save them, but maybe he thought that this was the best way to do so. Kai could tell that Rei was hurting to see them like this. Maybe he had still held hope that they were alright. Was this a good thing for Rei right now? Though, one doesn't choose the situation they enter in.

Kenny looked behind him, seeing that Ed was watching the match as well. He looked out into the forest, wondering what was around there.

Rei noticed that they were actually harder to beat. Rei was using his skills that he had picked up from his secret training. Were their memories being tapped into? And what if their skills could be enhance as well? They weren't this good before, Rei knew. He was able to keep Max's secret, but he was putting himself on the line for the next group they need to face. They were facing against Kevin and Grey. Why was Lee standing around?

Max didn't want to call Draciel since they weren't calling their Bit Beast. Max also didn't like how much better they were than the Majestics. Was Rei giving them the training schedule that they went through? That would probably be the Rei thing to do, since he wanted to get his village new parts. Max wished he knew what was going on with them. Since Draciel was spinning, Max was scanning every element within them. This world wasn't mixing within them, just floating, he noticed. Kai and the others weren't that close to them, but also in Draciel's range. The element in Kai had settled by now within him, but it had mixed. So, Kai was obviously different from those that are taken over. "Do they know English?" Max asked, needing to talk to Rei in private.

"They don't." Rei said, "Maybe a few words, at best."

Max noticed that something had switched in Rei's ear and on the back of his neck. Max had noticed that there were devices on Rei, but Max had yet to figure out what they were for. He also noticed that Kai had the same one in his ear. This was the first time that he felt it do something, though. They had always seemed asleep until now. " They have… " He looked over at their opponents, feeling something moving with the new element as well. Were they now able to understand what they were saying? Lee smiled at them.

Rei's devices switched again, "+What's wrong?+"

Max was afraid to speak. Whatever he could say would be discovered soon. If Ed was beside him, he could talk to him in code and be understood, but not Rei. Anything on the ground would be covered up in minutes by their fight.

":You're lucky, child.:" Lee said, though not in his voice. Rei looked at him, wondering who was speaking now. He smiled, ":You were left with nothing.:"

":Who are you?:"

":When we gain Kai, we'll go into your world and destroy everything she touched.:"

Max didn't know what they were saying, but Rei looked ready to kill again. He looked the same as on the ship that was so long ago. The anger that he was feeling was going into Driger as he began to pound at the others' Beyblades. Max slapped his shoulder, "Rei! Cool it! We're supposed to fight together."

Rei closed his eyes, taking in deep breathes. ":I'll save my friends.:" Rei told them, ":And you'll never enter our world!:" He yelled, his eyes going super thin as Driger sent the opponents flying. Max didn't like that they weren't worry at all.

Lee came forward with his Beyblade in hand. ":Then fight me, child. Show me what you got.:"

"+Get Draciel off the field.+" Rei ordered Max.

"Are you crazy?" Max asked, "You're in no condition to fight."

"Get Draciel off the field, Max." He looked at Max, and Max became worried. There was so much fire in his eyes, and not the good kind either. "Or I'll send him off myself. This is my fight."

Max had Draciel come over to him, but he was still spinning, "You're lucky, Rei and this is as far as I'm bending." Max wished that Rei would be more rational than this, but whatever was said got his blood boiling.

"What's going on?" Tyson asked as they watched helplessly.

"Why is Rei that mad?" Mariah asked as they were all able to see his eyes.

"Lee probably got him mad." Kai said, not liking it either. He remembered those fiery eyes. Anyone on their Australia trip would compare his eyes to those on the ship, but Kai knew that there was another time that matched those eyes right now. There was so much hatred, so much rage that it seemed like nothing could tame it. Considering that Rei looked at Max and Max looked nervous, Kai figured that Rei was fighting alone. He wondered if Mariah had seen these eyes before. When Rei sent Driger out to fight, Kai could see that Byakko wasn't out, so this was all Rei. Was that time all Rei as well? What had Biovolt done to him to make such a gentle guy produce such eyes?

Rei was getting annoyed at how this creature was able to have perfect mastery of Lee's Beyblade. They were matching hit after hit, but Rei never wanted to raise the level in Driger. Rei didn't want Max to know where the energy came from, since that would raise questions should Byakko ever become needed. So, instead, Rei was having Driger perform a lot of different techniques, which the creature couldn't follow. This allowed Rei to know that the ones that are switched can only access the memories of the person they had collected. They probably shared information, but that didn't leave much to work with. He also wondered just how important Kai was to them.

":I see that I have to use that beast.:" The creature within Lee said, ":Galeon!:"

Rei was surprised to see Galeon coming out from the Beyblade. ":How dare you use him!:" Rei yelled, ":Driger!:" Driger came from his Beyblade, roaring at Galeon. ":Crescent Moon Dance!:" Driger launched at Galeon bearing his claws.

Galeon roared in pain, making Rei stop for a moment. "They're not taken." Mariah whispered, barely hearable to Kai.

"They're taken." Kai said, though understanding why Rei stopped.

"Monsters can't control Galeon… Only Lee can." She said, now trying to pull away. Kai got a better hold on her and covered her mouth so she wouldn't yell.

":You better not hold back, kid.:" The creature said with a smile.

Rei looked at Galeon, seeing that it was in pain. The only time that Bit Beast looked pained was at the Australian tournament. Were they supposed to learn something from that tournament? Rei couldn't take the chance of destroying Galeon forever. "Driger!" Driger went back into the Beyblade.

"You think that you can fight me without that beast?"

"I can take you out without any help." Rei figured that as long as he attacks the Beyblade that Galeon wouldn't be hurt. "Gale Force Technique!" He called, sending Driger straight for the Beyblade. Driger was moving super fast, sending a series of 'kicks' at Galeon. The last one sent Galeon to a tree, but when the smoke cleared, the Beyblade and Bit Beast stood.

"You're holding back, kid." The creature smiled, "Galeon!" He called, sending Galeon launching. Rei had Driger dodge the attacks, but suddenly, Galeon went for him. Rei merged with Byakko, having a wall of earth separating Galeon and himself. When he felt Galeon move back, Rei placed back the earth. "So you do have an ace up your sleeve."

"Willow Dance!" Rei ordered, making Driger use its attack ring as a blade as it went towards Galeon.

Galeon was taking it, this time. "You're becoming weak, child." The creature informed, "You must be more willing to kill if you want to stop me." Galeon was sent off to the right as the Beyblades were fighting each other. Rei got in his path, kicking him back to the battlefield.

Max was impressed by Rei right there. He looked to be in total control, but by the fight that he was seeing, Max could tell that Rei was losing his nerve of fighting. It was like when he was fighting Kevin, losing heart half way through and lost Driger. Max also didn't like that Galeon was sent in the direction of the others. Did Rei know that they were there, or just didn't like that Galeon was sent to do something else? Max also wished he knew what they were saying.

"We better move." Kai said, knowing what Galeon was aiming for.

Tyson nodded and they headed back in the direction that they were in before running into, though just a bit more behind them than by their side. "Can we touch our Bit Beast?" Tyson asked once they were situated again.

"I don't think so." Kai said, making sure that Mariah wouldn't do something crazy.

":The fight is here and no where else.:" Rei said, walking back calmly as the Beyblades were going at each other. Galeon was moving independent of the Beyblade.

"You think you stand a chance?" He smiled. "Black Lightning."

Rei fell to the ground, breathing hard. "Rei!" Max called, seeing that he was suddenly hit with Galeon's attack.

":Now, stay where you belong.:" Galeon roared before heading towards Max. Max got into a chance, ready to fight against Galeon to protect his friends. "+Max, what are you doing?+" Lee asked.

":I'm your opponent.:" Rei said, starting to stand up. He looked like he wasn't about to give up.

":I see you're strong.:" Galeon went after him, with Rei just blocking with his arm. Galeon swiped with his other paw, but Rei grabbed it with his other hand. Max noticed that there was a wild look in his eyes as there was a power struggle.

"Can they see us?" Tyson looked up, wondering if those ghosts were around.

"We're not going to show ourselves unless attacked." Kai said.

Tyson nodded, understanding that those two would keep them safe enough. They just had to watch their backs and their own.

Rei pushed Galeon's paws away from each other before punching his right chest, sending him flying. Rei noticed that Byakko's wild side was taking over, probably because he was fighting against another cat. Galeon got up, shaking his head before roaring at Rei. ":How are you controlling him?:"

":I know where he comes from, thanks to Little Kai.:"

Rei raised an eyebrow. Even he didn't know where they originated from, but this creature did? He looked at Kevin and Grey, seeing that they were like the others before them. Was this creature different? Then Rei realized that this creature was; that he was very different from all the others. Worry came across Rei's mind as he realized that maybe this creature's type was more interested in Kai than the ones that they've faced so far. ":You're different from all the ones we've seen so far, aren't you? You should be locked up, right?:"

Lee looked considered, ":Maybe I am, maybe not:" Max noticed that there was an fast rise in Lee's new element, as if the creature was growing or something. Rei noticed that there was an increase in power rising in Lee, knowing that this wasn't good. Max looked behind him, feeling that creatures were coming. ":You have to catch me if you want to know.:"

"+Run! They're coming!+" Max yelled to his teammates hiding.

Rei looked beside him, now sensing them and sensing that they were much stronger than they had faced.

Everyone looked, hearing something coming their way. Were they surrounded all along? Kai looked around, wondering where the best place was to run. He took hold of Mariah's wrist before running into the forest.

Lee smiled as he knocked Driger back to Rei before disappearing. Rei shot something and caught him by a tree. "+We better go.+" Rei said before running.

Max followed quickly as Lee got himself unhooked. Rei pointed his hand away from them, towards the creatures and blocked them from coming after them. They caught up to everyone quickly enough. "They're ahead of us." Max announced, having Draciel scanning all around them.

"Lead the way." Kai yelled back to him, though not slowing his pace. Max moved quickly to the left and everyone followed. Rei sensed something and jumped backwards to avoid a punch. Lee was now dividing him from everyone, but everyone had stopped since Max turned around. Max wondered how he had missed him. There was no way that Draciel's scanning was off, until Max realized that he wasn't giving off anything. It was like he was a pocket of nothing, but somehow blinding into the surrounding. What was this creature?

":I thought that you were going to stop me, Rei.:" He looked at Rei, though Rei could now see that Lee's eyes were gone.

":Lee…:" Mariah called from Kai, ":Lee, talk to me. I know you're still there.:"

Lee looked at Mariah with a smile on his face, ":Two birds with one stone, got to love my luck.:"

Kai moved Mariah behind him, ":Lee, I know you can fight it! Lee!!:" Mariah tried to call.

"+He's out of range, little cat girl.+" Lee started to walk towards them before Rei got shot another knife at his feet. He looked at Rei, "Got something to say, kitty cat?"

"Get away from them."

"Or what? You'll hurt your friend's body?" He bent down to pick up the knife, making Rei not have a good feeling about this. "One stone?" He asked Rei, as if asking his opinion.

Max noticed that they were being surrounded again as Rei launched at Lee. Rei was worried since this creature was a much better fighter than he was. "We have to leave before we're trapped." Max said to the others as the ground was starting to shake. He looked up in the sky, scanning that they were coming from there as well. The ones on the ground were of the same type, heavy and massive. They seem to be in the shape of elephants, the ones in the sky were in the shape of monkey like things with wings, "They're closing in fast." He noticed that the ghosts were coming as well.

Kai had to think as he watched Rei fight against the creature. This creature was obviously better than Rei and was toying with him. How were they supposed to escape a creature that could beat their best fighter? No, Rei was holding back. Kai wondered if it was because they were there that he was holding back. "Lead us out of here." He looked at Max.

Max nodded, knowing that Rei would hold Lee back as much as he can before finding them. As Max started to head out, already being surrounded out of sight, Rei appeared in front of Kai, blocking a punch from the creature. Kai moved back, holding onto Mariah as he was in shock at how fast they were moving.

"Kai!" Max yelled, seeing that the ghosts were now around them. Kai looked behind him, before moving away from the hands. He kept Mariah closed as he moved away from the hands. Everyone else was fighting against the ghosts as Rei was fighting mainly the creature within Lee. Rei wasn't sure if this creature was stronger than TK and Patamon, but he was definitely strong. Rei didn't want to hurt Lee's body. Rei did the signs for the Fire Breathe and fired it at all the Bakumon, though only scaring them, as he flipped back. He moved out of the way of the kick that was sent his way. Rei did a hand stand roundhouse before jumping out of the way.

Kai was about to pull Mariah with him when something pulled her out of his hands. "Rei!" She called as she was being pulled by a ghost and being brought over to a creature with grey fur, bat like wings, no neck and stood on two legs. It's month was full of teeth and it looked like he was smiling. Rei was about to move over to her, but blocked a kick as he was pushed back a bit.

Lee appeared near her when the flying creature took hold of the struggling Mariah. "One bird." Lee said before grabbing a ghost and pushing it into Mariah. The look in her eyes was of fear and readiness. She looked like she was ready to join her team in their fate. When she opened her eyes again, it was obvious that she was taken over.

Max scanned Mariah throughout the whole thing. The creature took over completely, but it wasn't mixing with her. And then, the elephants could be felt by everyone. "We have to go, now!" Max said, hoping that Rei would leave them behind.

Kai looked at Rei, seeing that he wasn't moving. Kai moved back a bit, "Rei…"

Rei looked at Kai, looking like he was holding in his emotions. Kai turned around, "Move it!" He yelled and then the mammoth looking creatures came crashing into the scene. Kai lost sight of Rei as they're running away.

They were running for their lives, and it didn't seem like they were able to escape. They came in a herd, and they were ripping up the forest around them. The BladeBreakers were running into the forest, not wanting to run into the river. Max had to pick up Draciel as they were running, so he didn't know what happened to Rei. The hard breathing from his other teammates was letting Max know that they couldn't keep up this pace for much longer. Ed sounded like he was having trouble with his automail leg. Max clapped his hands, sending the energy for Alchemy through his legs and shooting cones of earth behind them. It had stopped most of the elephants, but the ones that went around were being cut off from the rest of the herd as they went on their way.

Max was starting to get tired as they went along since it was apparently a huge herd. He couldn't stop until they were all safe, though, and it wasn't feeling good on his chest anymore. On his last bit of energy, Max had another huge wall constructed, though strengthening it. Once they felt save enough, everyone stopped and Max collapsed onto the ground.

"Max!" Ed said, hurrying over to pick him up. Everyone made it over to him as well.

Max started to cough and it was obvious that he was tired. Kai looked around, not seeing anything that they could use to hide. "Get a fire going and I'll get us some cover." Kai ordered before heading out a bit to cover their tracks. He also tried to change how things appeared, hoping that no one would be a good hunter to notice. When he got back to his team, a fire was going strong and Ed had Max near it. Kai went through Rei's bag, carrying it for him since Mariah was hanging to his arm. He found the herbs to make the tea and started to collect snow in the pot. Max looked in pained as he coughed violently. Kai brought out blankets and handed them to Ed.

Tyson didn't like how Max was looking. Kai was trying to get a strong fire going and Ed was wrapping Max in the many layers of blankets and having Max drink the tea. Ed was drinking some as well, probably because Ed had wrapped his jacket around Max. Max was curled next to Ed, making him look so fragile. Tyson knew that this wasn't his best friend, and it was hard to see him like this. Tyson didn't know what to do, since Kai and Ed were working so hard on helping him. He looked over his shoulder, wondering what Rei was doing right now.

It took hours before Max was calm again. Kai noticed that Rei's herbs were running low now, but he didn't know what kind it was. It was too late to start walking, so they were going to stay here for the night. He didn't like how open they were. He also didn't like that Rei wasn't with them. Kai was trying to keep his calm and cool so he didn't alarm the others to his current state of mind.

Tyson was trying to cook, with Kenny helping, and it was working with Kai's advice. Kai looked a bit nervous, though was hiding it. Tyson wondered how much security Rei gave Kai. "How is he?" Kai asked Ed, since Max had fallen asleep.

"Good… I think he'll be fine tomorrow."

Kai nodded before sitting down, "How much meat did we use?" Kai looked at Tyson and Kenny.

"We still have some left, but I wouldn't be able to say how much. We're probably using up more than what Rei wanted to use."

Kai nodded, "I figured as much. We should probably see about hunting something as we head back to the river."

"We're not going to look for Rei?" Ed asked.

Kai was silent for a moment, "I'm sure he would head for the river, since we're not near the diverging point from it yet. Rei would be able to move much faster to that point on his own, so it would be better if we head there."

Ed was about to ask the other possibility, Tyson noticed, but could see that Kai didn't want to think about that side. He wanted to believe that Rei was able to make it out of that situation without getting trapped by them. Tyson was right about Rei giving Kai security, and it was clear that Kai couldn't stay as calm as before. He wondered if it was because Kai knew how dangerous this place was and already relying on Rei to keep them safe was a security that Kai needs now.

"How should we go tomorrow?" Kenny asked.

"If we're attacked during the night, we'll see how Max is doing. If we're attacked during the night, we'll head towards the river as much as we can." Kai pointed in a direction. "I tried to keep an idea on where the river is, and I'm sure that it's that way."

"So…" Tyson said after a moment, "we know to stay away from the Bakumon."

Kai nodded, "It would seem so. And it seems like we have to be weary when we're facing them."

"Do you want to sleep tonight?"

"I'm good." Tyson was actually expecting Kai to smile at him when he said that, but now realizes that that would be out of character for him, even if he is changing.

"You should probably rest some." Kenny offered.

"I'll wake someone up when I'm tired."

"Night." Ed said before lowering his head. Kenny wrapped up his laptop with him before heading off to sleep as well.

"Everything will be okay, Kai." Tyson said as he moved closer to the fire.

"I know… You should get some sleep."

"I'll get some when I fall asleep." Tyson smiled. Tyson looked at the fire, wondering what Kai was going through right now.

"Did I do the right thing?" Kai asked after a while.

Tyson wondered what he was talking about, "With Max or Rei?"

"I left him behind." Kai didn't stop staring at the fire. "I didn't even try to stop him."

"He'll come back." Tyson said, "We all understand why we had to let him handle it on his own."

Kai stayed silent for a moment, "I've always been proud that I had never lost any member of my team…"

"Rei isn't lost." Tyson now understood that Kai was beating himself up. "I'm sure that he's okay."

"If I was sure that Rei could.. would get away, I wouldn't be as worried. I don't know if he would give up on them… I don't know if I would give up and leave.."

Tyson nodded, now seeing that this might be the side of Kai that only Rei had seen before. No, that probably wasn't right. Maybe this is the side that Kai had developed after what happened to Rei. Tyson didn't know what to say right now. "I'm sure you'll make the right decision, and we would understand." Tyson said, "Just like with Rei, we know how important they are to you. I know that it's harder to stop Rei, but I'll try to keep you okay when we face them."

Kai nodded, realizing that this was similar to what Rei had said before. Was he really friends with his teammates now? It was similar to what he himself was willing to do for Rei to keep him safe. "Thanks." It was helpful to hear someone say it.

"The best thing I find," Tyson was taking a leap here, "is to just keep on believing. If you keep on believing, then good things start to happen."

Kai nodded, though didn't say anything after that. Tyson wondered how much he believed that, if he did. Tyson soon after fell asleep because of the silence that intruded. He woke up to smell of food being cooked. He noticed that he was lying on the ground, wondering if he had rolled over. He looked up to see that Kai was cooking. He rolled over, seeing that Kenny was awake. "Are the other two up?"

"Not yet." Kenny said, "We're going to wake them up later."

Tyson got up, "Need help, Kai?"

"I'm good." He said as he was working on the food.

Tyson got up and went over to Ed and Max. They were still asleep, "I'll go get some wood then."

"Have Dragoon with you?" Kai asked as Tyson was about to walk away.

"Always." Tyson smiled before heading out into the forest. It was chilly when the wind ran across the face. Tyson was glad that they weren't facing anything far worst than they have already. His fight with Tala came into his mind as he picked up a stick and a breeze blew by. He had faced the elements and survived, but he wasn't in them for that long. He was glad that they were well prepared now. He gathered a lot of sticks before heading back. Max and Ed were up as well and Kai was done cooking.

"When you were fighting," Kai said as they were eating, "did you notice anything?"

"Why aren't we looking for Rei?" Max asked, realizing that he wasn't here.

"We'll meet back up at the river." Kai said without looking up.

"Are you sure? We just…"

"We'll meet back up at the river." Kai said with a bit more firm.

Max lowered his eyes, understanding that Kai wanted to believe this. "The ghost in Lee was obviously different from all the others. He was able to talk to Rei in some language, since I think he was able to switch from language to language. He was able to get Rei to show his anger and rage. He seemed to be able to control Galeon perfectly, though there seemed to be something different about the way that Galeon acted."

"It seemed like he was able to do something that the Yami Hunters could do." Kenny said, "When you were fighting against them, it seemed like they could allow the Bit Beast to be a separated from the movement of the Beyblade."

"I was noticing that as well." Kai said, "How comfortable are you in showing your true strength?" Kai looked at Max.

"What do you mean?" Max wanted to know what he was getting at.

"In a Beybattle, do you want to show your true strength?"

"Are you saying what happened is my fault?"

"I want to know if you still want to hide. If you do, that's fine, but what if you could use it?" Tyson realized that Kai didn't want to lose his teammates anymore. Kai wanted Max to use his Alchemy to finish the battle quicker.

"Max," Tyson said before he did, "would you rather use your power to prevent something like this happening again? Jade and Krypton don't know of your strength and I know that we need something to win against them, and they don't know about your powers." Tyson knew that Kai would rather not fight them, and what if defeating them early can save them, is what Kai is hoping to answer.

Max looked at the ground, wondering what to do. He had developed Alchemy to help with Beybattles, but he has yet to use it. If he wasn't hiding, would Rei still be with them now?

"Max," Ed said as he got up, "I need to talk to you for a moment."

Max finished what he had before getting up and walked with Ed to the edge of their camp. "What is it?"

"You're doubting yourself, aren't you?"

Max looked at his team, "What if I can't save everyone with Alchemy? I know that Alchemy is powerful, particularly here, but what if it doesn't give us an advantage?"

Ed placed his hand on Max's shoulder, "That isn't something that can be answered now. We don't know what we're facing, and we have to keep going forward. You just have to do what you can."

"So you think I should use Alchemy in the next fight."

"That's for you to decide. I'm just saying that you shouldn't doubt yourself. You're so much stronger than you realize. You know how strong you are, so don't doubt yourself now."

Max nodded, walking back to the others. Did he really have the strength that was needed now? Max wasn't sure if he did. He couldn't stop Rei before, but understanding his pride and loving him and believing in him was what had made Max pull back. "I don't know if I'll use my full strength in the next battle," Max announced to his team as they were finishing up with their meal, "But if I need to, I'll try not hesitate to use it."

"That's fine." Kai said, putting out the fire with the snow. "Was there anything different with Mariah?" Kai also noticed that he felt guilty about that as well. He was supposed to protect her for Rei, and he failed.

"You think that I could notice something like that?"

"I don't know what you can notice."

"The ghost took control over her body, but it didn't mix with her."

"So there's a way to separate them?" Tyson asked.

Max nodded, "There should be, anyway. I'm sure that if the Yami Hunters are to save those that are switched that they would have to take out the ghost that is within them."

Kai nodded, "We should probably look into that as well." He got up when he was done placing everything away, carrying two bags now, "In case we can do something to help our friends."

"I'll look into it as we're heading back to the river." Max said, "I think I'm starting to understand some basic things about it and Alchemy could probably help with freeing them."

"You have to be careful when doing so." Ed said, "They're not homunculi."

Max nodded, "I'll be very careful as I'm thinking."

"Then we'll head back to the river now." Kai started to walk before he heard spinning. He looked behind him to see Max had Draciel on the ground.

"Let me lead the way. I can make sure that we're heading in the right direction and that nothing comes up to surprise us."

Kai nodded, wondering how Max got Draciel to spin without his rip cord. Max and Ed were walking ahead and Kai followed behind everyone else. He looked into the forest, wondering why the ghost within Lee felt familiar to him. It wasn't the same familiar feel that TK and Patamon gave him. He knew that he had to be weary of that ghost. Kai wondered what that ghost knew and said to make Rei lose his calm. Maybe Rei would tell him later.

Max could feel that they were far from the river. He couldn't sense it yet, but he believed that they were heading towards it. So far, there weren't near any creatures. He wondered if he could separate this world element from the normal elements. He didn't want to practice it now. The air was too cold right now, and it wouldn't be good for the team if he got sick now. He was their only protection. He wondered if this is how Rei felt. Max knew that Rei considered himself the fighter of the group and had to protect the group from anything. Did that self-appointed job ever burdened Rei or was he always like that? Max wished he knew the answer since the past that he did know didn't seem to offer an answer to this.

Tyson was talking to Kenny, wanting to keep the silence away. Kai seemed to be in his own world, or at least didn't want to be apart of the group right now. Was Rei that important to him now? He wondered what kind of relationship they had developed over the months since Rei's return. They're obviously friends, close friends that didn't need to say much to be understood by the other and that can see each other when they hide. But the way that Kai was acting, it was like there was some understanding pact with them. Was that all that their friendship was? A pact that was forged because they were with each other at the right time for secrets to be revealed? Tyson didn't think that was true. Maybe Rei was Kai's best friend, and Kai was Rei's best friend, but that was hard to understand. Kai didn't think of them as his friends all that much after the tournament. He knew that he could rely on them and maybe have fun with them, but he didn't see them like friends completely. And yet, Rei became his best friend. Kai looked like he had failed at many things today, and he looked fearful. Was this how he reacted to being a leader or was this how he reacted to being a best friend? Obviously, Kai probably wouldn't know how to answer this and especially to them.

"Should we stop?" Max asked as noon was passing by.

"Are we near the river?" Kai asked.

"No."

"We should wait until we are."

Max nodded, wondering if this river was Kai's safety blanket for now. Max figured that he'll experiment when they stopped. It was warmer now, but it would take a lot of energy, he figured. Using Draciel as probably the safest way to go, but he didn't know what kind of array would be needed to be used. In a normal fight, it would be hard to get the person into the array, but what if he could use the connection that a Beyblader has with their Beyblade to send the energy to them. He would have to test that, though. He would have to detect it and be able to enter it. Would that be hard to accomplish or another easy task? "Tyson," Max looked at him, "I'll need your help when we stop."

"With what?" Tyson looked at him.

"I think I just thought up something that could help us free the others, but I would need to use their Beyblades while in a Beybattle. I'll explain the finer details when we're resting, since I haven't really developed them in my head."

Tyson nodded, "I'll help ya."

"Thanks." Max smiled before looking at Ed, "I'll need to come up with an array that will help me separate the elements from each other."

"So, you only want to do destruction?"

"Yeah, though it wouldn't be like destroying both entities." Max wondered if he was seeing his experience with two beings being combined, "Okay, say that I were to do this with Mariah, I should be able to remove the ghost as if it was a bullet stuck inside her. If I were to do this with Kai, I would probably be killing him."

Ed nodded, understanding the difference, "I'm not sure. We would have to look at all the arrays that I know and see which one is better to using something like that. Once we have that, we'll see about modifying it so that we don't harm the human that is switched."

Max nodded, "Can you do that now? I won't practice it until I can find the connection that the person has with their Beyblade. Since I wouldn't be able to touch them myself, I figured that was the best way of going about it. If I can find the link that connects them and have my array send the power through that connection, I should be able to affect the blader as well."

"So what are you looking for?"

"There's a connection that allows a blader to control their Beyblade. I have two connections with Draciel, since I don't yet know how to combine the Alchemic line with my normal line. Having a Bit Beast also strengthens that line, since we have to send energy to our Bit Beast and to call them out. If I can use that line to send the power through, I should, in turn, affect the blader with Alchemy without ever touching them."

"So you would draw an array and activate it during a match, but instead of affecting the material within that array, it would affect something outside?"

Max nodded, "I'm sure I can do it."

"Then we have to choose the array carefully. The only way that I could think of that's similar is by using our hands after seeing the Gate. But even that is affected by what the hands can touch."

"Do you think I can do it?" Max was now wondering if it was possible.

Ed smiled, "We don't know if we don't at least try. It's the best shot we have right now."

Max nodded, glad to hear that. Ed pulled out his journal and started to look through it. Max hoped that Ed had come across such an array, since it would be hard to come up with one on the spot. He touched his amulet, knowing that the back design of his amulet was something that he had discovered while staying here the last time. Would he be able to come up with something similar again? Ed called him a genius, but Max wondered if that was true. If he couldn't come up with arrays on his own, was he truly a genius?

Kai wondered if his direction was right since they were nearing two and Max hadn't said that they were getting close. Should they stopped now or continue until he knew that they were close? Which choice was right and which was wrong? Why was it so hard to make a decision now? It wasn't this hard before, right? What made this time different from the others, other than the obvious? Was he not cut out to be a leader? He wished Rei was here right now. Kai needed his help more than he had realized before. "Max," he called, having him turned his head, "we'll rest for now."

Max nodded before turning around and looking ahead of him. "We'll go over there to set up camp. It's has a larger clearing."

Kai nodded as Max led the way. Kai wondered what he was doing that allowed him to know such things. Tyson and Kenny were collecting the wood as Kai decided what to cook. He wished that Rei had told him what he had planned for the food since he knew that they were messing it up. Kai had noticed that they were also running low on food all together. How long was Eric planning for them? He guessed that since the Yami Hunters couldn't see, they didn't know how long it would take. Kai had to keep up what he could. Draciel was still spinning as Max was writing down something in his little book. Ed was reading from something similar to what Max had, but obviously Ed's had been used more and was much older.

"What do you want me to do, Max?" Tyson asked as Kai was making lunch.

"I'm going to need you to fight me. I think I have a way of touching the opponent without ever touching them."

"What are you talking about?"

"I would have to use Draciel when we face anyone that is switched, right? Well, I can't directly touch my opponent since that could be dangerous for a number of reasons, so I would have to send my Alchemy powers to them in an indirect way. All bladers know that there is a connection to our Beyblades that allows us to send our energy to them, and it's especially strong when you have a Bit Beast. If I can detect that connection and use it to send my energy to my opponent, it would be the same as if I was touching them with my hands."

"That sounds like something the Yami Hunters can do." Kai mentioned, "In particular, Tezcatli since he was able to poison his opponents without touching them through their Bit Beast."

Max had forgotten about that, remembering that Rei had made an antidote for him since he had known about it. "That just proves to me that there is a way to do it, and I just have to find it. I don't know under what conditions it appears, but I figured that if I fight you, I should be able to find it under a battle situation."

"How about you fight against me, instead?" Kenny offered, "You need to find it, but you also said that having a Bit Beast makes it stronger."

"If I could find it while using you, I should be able to find it with anyone." Max finished his thought, "Alright, but I should also face you two, since I need to know for sure that it doesn't vary from person to person."

Tyson nodded, "Anything to help out." He looked at his partner, "How long until you're done?"

"Go ahead and practice. We shouldn't waste a lot of time."

Kenny got up and brought out his Einstein Beyblade as they walked away from the fire. Max moved Draciel in front of him, knowing that his scanning technique would be the best bet to see it.

Tyson was about to count until realizing that Draciel was already spinning. Kenny pulled the rip cord and went after Max. Since he had been monitoring everyone, Kenny understood what Krypton and Jade were trying to teach them and understood the training. He had developed a Beyblade that would bring that out of himself, though obviously there was some missing data from Max. But right now, that was fine, since this was to help him and not an actual fight.

Max wasn't able to find it. Having the two Beyblades touch didn't do much, and having his scanner on wasn't working. What was it that he needed to look for? The Yami Hunters believed in power of the spiritual, even if they were wrong to think that. Everything they used was alchemy at work, Max knew. But, he couldn't find it and they could. They had found it, and probably didn't even realize it. He had to do the same. Max stopped the large range scan and focused on the single line, connecting Draciel to Einstein. Max still wasn't finding anything as they fought.

Max closed his eyes as they fought. He was sensing ever bit of information he could, needing to find it. He couldn't fail at this and he couldn't give up. This was to save their friends and loved ones. If he couldn't do this, he wouldn't be able to face them again. Right now, the ones that they had faced were probably being saved by the Yami Hunters, but the most important ones, the ones that they were first searching for, was all up to them. They needed to save them, and if anything happened to Rei, Max didn't want to leave him to be saved by the Yami Hunters.

Max heard a growl sound and opened his eyes, seeing that he was in a dark place with Draciel in front of him. He looked at the ground, seeing that the Beyblades were still fighting, but no one else was here. He looked at Draciel, wondering what was going on. Max then noticed the line that connected Max to Draciel and to his Beyblade. He looked at Einstein, knowing that there was a connection. He paused as he thought about Draciel. Max couldn't scan Draciel himself since he is a spirit. He doesn't produce elements like everything else. And yet, here he stands. Was that what Draciel was telling him? That he needs to not only use Alchemy to see, but his spirit? Max decided to do that, deciding to feel for that connection. Maybe the Yami Hunters weren't all that off after all.

Max was then able to feel it and when he looked in this darkness, he found the line and Kenny was here as well. Draciel and the darkness faded back to reality and Max could still feel that connection. He smiled, having Draciel draw the water sign and pulled Einstein over to it before activating when he touched it. A wall of water appeared in front of Kenny in that instant since Max didn't want to it to enter him. "I found it." Max said with a smile.

Kenny had pulled Einstein back, "What was that that Draciel did?"

"That's how Alchemy is first taught. You have to know what symbols and words are needed to be placed in a space that is going to have alchemy preformed on it."

Tyson brought out Dragoon, "Let's see if everyone is different." He pulled his rip cord and Dragoon went straight for Draciel. Draciel avoided being hit and was leading Dragoon on for a bit. Max could also find Tyson's connection to Dragoon, and he was right. It was much stronger than someone that didn't have a Bit Beast. He moved Draciel to be on that line, but only Draciel went over to water symbol. Another wall of water appeared in front of Tyson, and Max didn't even send it through Dragoon first.

"Was it easy or hard to find it?" Tyson asked as he brought Dragoon back to him.

"It was easy." Max smiled, knowing that he wasn't going to tell them about his new discovery, probably something that the Yami Hunters didn't know and probably something only Max can do. "Did you guy feel anything before the water appeared?"

They both thought about it for a moment, "I didn't feel anything." Kenny said.

"I don't think I felt something." Tyson repeated.

"When I face you," Kai said, "I'll search for that, but the food is done."

They all came back to the fire, and Max was feeling for that connection. It didn't seem like they had that connection open all the time. He wasn't feeling it right now, though spiritually, there was something different about Kai. Why does Kai have to be so special? The food was good, Max noticed. It was different from Rei's style, but Max wondered how Kai got good at cooking with a fire. He knew how difficult it was to cook with fire, and it's not a skill that everyone has. "Have you ever cooked with fire before?" Max asked.

"I know how to cook." Kai said.

"It takes a different kind of skill."

"Not that different." Kai was realizing that it does, but he didn't learn it from anywhere. Rei never taught him how to cook, "Watching Rei gave me an idea on how it's done." Kai lied, wondering what kind of life he had before the abbey.

Max wondered if that was true, but didn't ask about it. Once they were done, Tyson and Kenny were cleaning up as Kai and Max got ready. Both launched their Beyblades and Max noticed how quickly the connection is turned on. The moment the Beyblades were in the air, the connection was made. Right now, it was as strong as with Tyson, but Max could sense that there was something else. He wasn't sure what that was, but knew that it was probably only unique to Kai. He would have to look at others to know for sure. Max battled Kai a bit, just because he actually wanted to fight him, but knew that he couldn't just yet. "Okay, I see it." Max said when he decided to call it off and get going.

Kai had Dranzer come back to him, and once the Beyblade stopped spinning, the connection was cut. "Let's move out." Kai said as he went to get his things. Max and Ed were back in the lead, with Max writing down everything that he had discovered about that connection. Ed was still looking for the array that they could use as a base for this new task.

"Max is pretty awesome, don't you think?" Tyson asked Kai, trying to keep him involved since he seemed to be the only one that wanted to be alone. "I mean, he was able to come up with a way of freeing our friends and coming really close to having a way of pulling it off."

"He has always seemed to be smart." Kai said, "Though I guess this is a new way for him to show it."

"I wonder how long it took him to master Alchemy." Kenny pondered.

"Who knows." Tyson said, "But it sure is helpful. I'll admit that. Is Rei still angry at how much Max praised it?"

"I don't think so. I haven't really talked to him about it, but I'm sure that he put that behind him." Kai said. "I'm wondering why Draciel needs to be spinning."

"I've been wondering that too." Tyson said, "Though, we could probably ask him."

"I don't want to ask now."

"Why not?" Kenny asked.

"He kept it from us, so I want him to be ready to tell us. If he thinks that we can be told after this, then he'll tell us."

"Is that how you dealt with Rei?" Tyson asked.

"Pretty much."

"Kai!!" Everyone stopped and turned around.

Max saw everything in slow motion. Rei had jumped onto Kai's back. Kai had to balance himself from the sudden weight and Tyson and Kenny moved away as he did so. Rei was smiling happily as Kai turned his head to look at Rei. Rei leaned in close and kissed Kai's cheek. Max was in shock at the sight. Kai didn't do anything to deny it. He took a step forward, "Rei…"

Byakko growled as he was about to get off Kai. Kai moved his free arm to keep Byakko where he was, since he was about to attack his team, "Byakko," Kai said in a soothing way, "Byakko, look at me." He turned his head, but didn't divert his eyes from everyone, "Byakko, look at me." He did after a bit, "These are Rei's and mine friends. They're okay."

Byakko looked at them as did Kai. By the look on their eyes, he knew this was going to be hard to swallow. Kai moved his hand and Byakko got off his back. He moved over to Tyson and Kenny, since they were close. Tyson and Kenny looked worried.

"He's fine." Kai said, "This is Byakko. Say your name when he goes to you."

"Uh… Hi," Tyson said as Byakko was sniffing the air near him, "I'm Tyson." Tyson took a look at Byakko. He looked exactly like Rei, except he had cat like ears with white tiger stripes, a tail with white tiger stripes, his eyes were more cat like, and he had no shoes, but sharp toenails.

"Kenny." He was obviously nervous.

"Max." Max was slowly getting out of shock, not sure what's going on.

"Ed."

Byakko looked at everyone before walking back to Kai. Byakko laid his head on Kai's shoulder and Kai then understood that he was worried about not seeing him. Kai petted his head, "Sorry for worrying you."

Byakko smiled before rubbing his head against Kai. "Kai," Kai looked up to see that everyone was looking at them, "What's going on?" Max asked.

"When we stop for the night, I'll explain."

Max didn't like this at all. "Can you explain why it's…"

"Byakko is a different soul, but existing in Rei's body." Kai said, not liking Max's attitude towards Byakko.

Max turned around, glad to know that, "We're still not near the river." He started to walk, now realizing that he didn't sense Byakko. He searched Byakko, now sensing that he was the same stuff as Rei. There was nothing different between the two. But why couldn't he sense Byakko before.

"What's wrong?" Ed asked.

"I didn't know that Byakko was coming. He isn't different from Rei, physically."

Ed looked behind, "Maybe we can find that out later."

"Why is he hanging on you?" Tyson asked as they continued walking. Byakko was walking near Kai, though it was obvious that only Kai mattered to him.

"He likes me." Kai said. Kai suddenly realized that he needs to ask Byakko about what happened to Rei. Byakko comes out only when Rei isn't conscious. "He's well-behaved."

"Does he know who we are?" Kenny asked.

"Byakko," Byakko looked at Kai, "do you recognize everyone?"

Byakko shook he's head, "Kai, Rei, Jade." He said in his own voice that was a mix of Rei's and something more innocent.

"He can speak?" Max asked.

"He can only say those names." Kai said, remembering the hours to get him to say Rei and his own names as well as all the hours to get him to say something else. "He understands a lot, but he can't say a lot. He knows how to read, but only Chinese."

"What is Byakko?" Tyson asked.

"A tiger spirit." Byakko moved his hand to resemble the good luck cat, something that Kai had a hand in teaching him.

"It's so weird to see Rei like that."

"Once you realize that this is a different person, it becomes much easier."

"You really can see the difference."

Kai nodded, "It's not that hard. They do have different personalities."

"But it's the same body."

"But not the same soul."

Tyson nodded, not understanding how Kai couldn't see a bit of Rei just because it is using the same body.

"We're getting closer, now." Max said, now seeing water elements in his scan, "We still far away from it, but we're heading in the right direction."

Kai looked above, seeing that they were losing light. "Can we make it before night fall?"

"I don't think so."

"We'll stop now, then and set up camp."

"We stopped not long ago." Ed pointed out, "We should keep going."

"Fine." Kai realized that. They probably should get closer to it anyway, so they don't lose it again. Max led them on ahead, keeping an eye on the light. They would need to have enough light to see what they were doing. He didn't like that Rei's body was so close to Kai and that he didn't seem to mind it.

When they had about an hour of light left, they had stopped to set up camp. Tyson and Kenny were getting the wood and Max and Ed were making sure that they were secure. Kai was making the food and Byakko was lying near Kai.

"We're going to need more meat." Kai said as he was cooking up the last bit.

"All we know exist are fish." Tyson said.

"That will have to do, I guess." Kai looked at Byakko, "Did you hunt before finding us?"

He nodded his head. He got on his knees and hands and started to write on the ground. Kai moved over to see what he wrote, seeing that he had written the kanji for deer.

"Byakko said that there's deer here."

"We haven't seen any." Max said.

"Byakko has to eat as well."

"Does Byakko hunt?" Ed asked as Kai went back to cooking.

"He never had to back in Japan, but he does have those hunting instincts."

"Okay, so explain what happened." Max said as everyone sat down.

Kai sighed, "At one point on his disappearing trip, Rei acquired Byakko with Wu's help. Jade had an idea on why Byakko was needed, but she never told me. I learned about Byakko because he tried to show himself to me many times when Rei didn't want him to." Kai figured they didn't need to know about that odd morning or that it was during the time that Rei was trying to kill himself or that Kai had formally met Byakko before Rei knew about it, "The guy that Rei went to go see had convinced him to show Jade and me Byakko. That's how he knows our names. Since then, I've been taking Byakko out on the town."

"Why?" Max asked as Kai started to serve the food.

"So he would know where he was at." Kai sat back when he got his food. Byakko sat up next to him, with his hands on his crossed legs. Kai blew the food before feeding it to Byakko, who had his mouth open as if this was natural.

"He can't feed himself?" Kenny asked.

"He doesn't like to." Kai was glad that he could hide why Byakko doesn't. "I don't think he learned how to, as well."

"What was that kiss about, anyway?" Tyson asked.

"That's his way of greeting." They didn't need to know that it was his way of greeting him, because of Jade's pact with him.

"You must be very comfortable with him, then. I don't think I could handle that." Byakko rubbed his head against Kai's arm, and Kai understood that he was happy to hear that.

Kai rubbed his head, "I am." Kai brought another scoop of food to Byakko.

This wasn't helping Max, seeing someone like Rei cuddling near Kai and Kai responding to it with affection. It was like they were showing their love without care. "Is he why you're so close to Rei?" Max asked.

Kai noticed that Byakko looked at Max and was growling lowly. "No." Kai had the food near him. Since Byakko knew that Kai would just give him the food, he looked at Kai. Kai gave him a look. Byakko looked away and Kai sighed, not sure why Byakko didn't like Max. He gave him the food, since Byakko had stopped growling. Kai got more food and was feeding it mostly to Byakko. "I was befriending him before I knew about Byakko."

"Which does Byakko act like the most?" Tyson asked.

"A cat."

"And why did you not tell us about him?" Max asked.

"It wasn't my place to say and I'm going to assume that Byakko is like your Alchemy. Rei didn't want others to know about him."

"But other people did." Max pointed out, "You, Jade, that guy, Wu, and who knows who else."

"You have a problem with Byakko?" Kai couldn't understand why Max was acting nasty about the news and understands why Byakko was growling at Max.

"What makes you think that?" Byakko rested his head on Kai's shoulder, looking at Max. Max wondered what that meant, since it was obviously something.

"Byakko seems to be a bit bothered by you, and I can't really tell why. He normally isn't bothered by people."

"I have no problem with him. It's just hard to believe, that's all."

Kai looked at Byakko, "Don't worry about him, okay?" Byakko looked at him, with worry all over his face. Kai wondered if Max was worrying him about something. Kai smiled, knowing that Byakko only cares about two people, himself and Rei, so it had to have something to do with him, "Can you tell me what happened to Rei?"

Byakko shook his head. He pointed to his head, meaning that he was still there, but Kai guessed that the finer details weren't known to Byakko.

"What happened?" Max asked.

"Byakko doesn't know, but at least knows that Rei is within him." Kai looked at everyone, "Is he conscious?"

Byakko shook his head.

"Can Byakko switch to Rei?" Max asked, much rather having Rei here than to see this sight.

"It would be better if Byakko was in control for a while." Kai said as Byakko behaved himself, "It would be much harder to carry a body around and this will give Rei a chance to heal up."

"Rei can heal while not in his body?" Tyson asked.

"Yeah, he can."

"We should probably get some sleep." Kenny said as he closed his laptop.

"Good idea." Kai said as he went over to the food, seeing how there was nothing left and started to clean everything. Everyone else gathered their things to go to sleep. As soon as Kai was done, Byakko waited until he sat down and lay across his lap. Kai smiled, patting his head, "You're going to freeze like that."

Byakko rolled over to look at him, giving Kai his begging face. Kai smiled a bit more, thinking that this was funny somehow, "I can't wrap the blanket around you if you stay there."

Byakko pawed the blanket that Kai had around him. Kai nodded his head and Byakko got up and cuddled next to Kai. Kai wrapped the blanket around Byakko, and could tell that Byakko was happy. Kai looked at his team, seeing that they had fallen asleep. He was wondering how long it's been since they entered the forest.

In the middle of the night, Kai noticed that Byakko was awake. "Is something wrong?" Kai asked.

Byakko looked at him before shaking his head. He leaned up for a bit, licking Kai's side face before resting on his shoulder again. Kai understood that Byakko missed him, probably because Rei hasn't let Byakko out in a while. Kai was always amazed that no matter how animal Byakko can be, he still has a human side to him. "Sorry for worrying you a few days ago." Byakko looked at Kai, "Rei said that you were worried." Byakko nodded, his eyes showing his concern. "I'm alright now. What happened has past." Byakko laid his head and Kai could feel the purring. Kai petted his head, "Are you afraid to go to sleep?" Byakko nodded his head. He looked at Kai from his shoulder and moved his hand to touch Kai's face. "I'm watching the camp. There are creatures here that are trying to capture us and attack any time." Byakko looked like he was thinking before writing something on the ground. Kai looked, reading that Byakko woke up and was surrounded by creatures that he had to fight off. "We.. we had to leave Rei behind so he could save some friends of his from his tribe. The creatures we fear were around him at that time."

Byakko moved as to rub his head on Kai's cheek, sensing that he was sad. Kai smiled, "Thanks, Byakko. I don't like how I didn't try to get him to come with us." Byakko laid his head close to Kai's neck. Byakko touched his own chest. "I know, but Rei wasn't like himself. He wasn't thinking calmly so I was worried that he would try too hard when knowing he had to retreat. There are ghost that are with the creatures that can be placed inside us and we're no longer in control. I'm worried about that happening to Rei. Everyone else we know is all controlled like that." Byakko wrapped his arms around Kai's waist, "I know you'll protect me." Kai petted his head, "But I don't want anything to happen to you or anyone else here." He pointed to his team, "I want us to get out of here together." Byakko nodded, looking at Max. Byakko pointed to Max, wanting to know if he had a competition for Kai.

"Max?" Kai asked and Byakko nodded, "What about him?" Byakko wrote on the ground, and Kai thought it was funny how Byakko didn't consider Jade a competition. Though, even Jade noticed how much attention Kai gave to Byakko whenever she was around. Byakko never minded Jade, but had never shown interest in her actions or words. Maybe it was because Kai always played with Byakko even if Jade was around had given Byakko the attitude that she wasn't a competition. Though, he did listen to her pact. "Max isn't competition. You do know that you don't have to worry about that because I love Jade, right?" Byakko pouted, hating when Kai bought her up. Byakko could see that Kai liked him better than Jade, but he doesn't seem to realize it. "I'm sorry." Kai said as he little scratched the back of his ear, "You know that you're second, right?" Byakko gave him a look that said he didn't believe him. "Well, you are." Byakko rubbed Kai's hand that was on his face, accepting what he was saying, for now. Byakko replaced his arm to the front of Kai's waist and laid his head close to Kai's neck. Kai wrapped the blanket around them better, "Get some sleep for now. I'll be here when you wake up."

Byakko closed his eyes as Kai petted him to sleep. Kai could understand how others would think of this as weird. He was treating Rei's body as an animal. Even Jade had some trouble seeing the difference, but it never bothered Kai. Even though Rei's face was staring at him with love and affection, it wasn't Rei that was looking through those eyes. Kai could always tell in an instant when Rei was looking at him or Byakko. He hadn't seen them so often merge, but figured that Rei was in more control of the body.

Kai also knew that Byakko didn't care if everyone else thought that it was weird. Byakko only cared that Kai wasn't bothered. Since Kai understood this, Kai doesn't let things that Byakko does bother him. If he does step out of line, though, Kai would let Byakko know. He doesn't do so often, but there are those times. Kai laid his head on Byakko's head, knowing that Byakko likes that he treats him as a person and an animal. Because of this constant training, Kai knew it wouldn't be good for Byakko to be out for a long time during this trip, but also missed him. Byakko was more than a pet, but Kai didn't know if he was a friend. He was certainly someone that Kai couldn't see sad.

When Max woke up, he saw a sight that he never wanted to see. Rei was cuddling so close to Kai and even had his arms around Kai. Max looked away for a moment, reminding himself that it was some other creature within Rei that was doing this. But how could Kai not see Rei within this creature? They may be different personalities, but you can't escape the fact one would see it because they couldn't imagine Rei doing such things.

"What's up?" Ed asked in a low voice.

"Kai…" The only thing Max could say at the moment.

Kai noticed movement from Ed and Max, seeing that Ed was getting up. Before Kai could greet him, Ed lay back down, "Are you not getting up?"

"I will…" Max said, taking a deep breathe before getting up himself. "Morning." Max said with a smile.

Kai wondered why they were acting weird. "Can you see if there is any normal game around here? We're going to need meat."

"We never had meat in the morning before." Max pointed out.

"That's because we didn't have Byakko with us."

"Doesn't like veggies?"

"He can eat anything, but he needs to be healthy and meat helps him."

"So we have to go out of our way to hunt."

"We would have to do so at some point." Kai wondered what is Max's problem. It's not like Byakko could offend him in any way. Byakko doesn't care about him and so wouldn't go out of his way to do something to him. Even if Byakko thought of Max as competition, Byakko would wait to see before doing something.

Max had Draciel spinning. Kai noticed how alert Byakko became and was surprised that he was bearing teeth. "Byakko." Kai said soothingly, "Byakko, what's the matter?" Byakko removed his arms from Kai and was moving towards Max on his hands and feet. Kai wrapped his arms around his neck, having seen this pattern before. "Max, stop what you're doing." He looked at him.

Max did, seeing that Byakko was bearing his teeth at him and gave Rei's face a more animal like look, "What's wrong?"

Byakko wasn't about to back down, Kai noticed, so he pulled Byakko back, having him lay his head on Kai's leg, but he didn't stop looking at Max, "He doesn't like how you do your searching, but I don't know why." Kai petted Byakko, "Is that the only way to look?"

"Yeah, it is… What was he about to do?"

"Attack." Kai only saw it once and it was when someone had done something to Kai so Byakko attacked the guy. That was the only time that Kai had seen the animal and destructive side of Byakko. Now thinking back on it, he wasn't sure what had set Byakko off. "I guess we can't use that until Byakko is okay with it."

"You sure this is a good idea? I mean, it's one thing that he's all over you, but it's another thing for him to be attacking people."

Kai could see that everyone was taking this the wrong way, though that would make Byakko happy. "I'm sure." Kai leaned on his side to look at Byakko. He was still in his animal mode. "Byakko." Kai called as he scratching behind Byakko's ear. Byakko leaned into Kai's hand but never looked away from Max. "Byakko, can you go get some meat?"

Byakko looked at Kai with a confused look on his face. Was if this guy was going to do the same thing that those other people did to Rei? Byakko got on his hands and knees, moving close to Kai's face. Kai smiled at him, placing his hand on Byakko's side of his face, "I'll be okay. You need to eat and we don't have meat."

Max wasn't liking the sight he was seeing. Though, it was also weird to see Kai like this. Just how much did Byakko mean to Kai? It was obvious that there was love there, but Max couldn't tell if it was for a pet or something more. Byakko glared at Max before standing up and headed towards the forest, where he disappeared. "What was that about?"

"I told him about the creatures, so he's probably worried that we would be attacked while he was away." Kai started to make the fire stronger. Kai also knew that Byakko thought Max would do something to him, but didn't understand why. "Try to be patient with him."

"So," Max got up, "with Jade not around, you love someone else on the side?"

Kai gave Max a strange look, "I'm not into guys."

"Doesn't look like that to me." Max murmured, "Anyway, if I'm to lead us to the river, I need to use my Alchemy skills."

"I understand, but I think Byakko just doesn't know what it is and so is nervous about it." Kai started to get stuff out from Rei's bag.

"How about doing so now?" Ed offered. He got up, "I'll stand ready if anything happens."

"Don't hurt Byakko." Kai looked at them, and Max saw how much Kai cared for Byakko.

Max sighed, thinking that this attitude was annoying. Draciel was still spinning so Max started his scan. He noticed that the river was in front of him. Max looked for a tree to mark his way. Max stopped so Byakko wouldn't notice. "I know which direction to head in."

Ed moved Max out of the way and moved up his automail arm to block Byakko's attack. Ed pushed Byakko back and before Byakko launched for another attack, Kai grabbed his arm. Byakko glared at them as he growled.

"What's that about?" Tyson asked as he and Kenny were getting up.

"Byakko doesn't like how Max does his search." Kai said, pulling Byakko back to him. "Are you okay?" Kai looked at Max and Ed, which made Byakko looked at Kai.

"Yeah, we're fine." Ed said.

Kai was glad that Byakko calmed down, "Byakko, didn't I say that they were our friends?" Kai looked at Byakko. Byakko lowered his eyes before nodding, "And what did I say about friends, huh?"

Byakko looked at Max before wrapping his arms around Kai, hugging Kai as he started to cry. Kai wondered why Byakko was so scared as he hugged him back, "It's alright, Byakko. I'm okay. We're safe here. No one will hurt us, okay?"

Max looked away, not wanting to see what he feared. Tyson looked near the fire, seeing two rabbits. He wondered how they got here and why their throats were slashed. "Should we start cooking?"

"Yeah, can you cook, Ed?" Kai looked at him, since Byakko hadn't stopped.

Ed nodded, "Sure. Max, come help me." Ed moved before Max followed.

Kai tried to move Byakko, but he held firm to Kai. Kai remembered that Byakko was present when all those things happened to Rei. Was Byakko the one that attacked those guards and try to attack him as well? What horrors did he see Rei be put through? Were those memories making Byakko hostile now?

"What happened this morning?" Tyson asked as Ed and Max were cutting up the rabbits.

"How I searched for the water and materials was something that Byakko didn't like." Max said. "Kai sent him to go hunting afterwards so I thought I should try again, which led to the attack."

"Can you save one rabbit for Byakko?" Kai asked.

"There isn't enough meat to split up one rabbit." Ed said. Max remembered that Ed had told him that he had to kill a rabbit for his training. "We need all of this."

Kai nodded, though wanted to make Byakko feel better. Kai got Byakko to sit down, but Byakko didn't let go and only curled up to Kai more.

"It's going to be only meat." Ed said, "I never really learned how to cook fancy."

"That's fine." Kai said. Tyson wondered why Kai was so different around Byakko. It was so weird to see Rei like this, but Kai looked comfortable with it. It was probably because he had seen Byakko so much that he cared for him deeply. Maybe the weird thing about it was Kai, since he had never shown this much affection in front of them before. Was Byakko more loved by Kai than Jade?

Once the food was done, Kai only took one, "Byakko," Byakko looked at him, his eyes swollen from crying. Kai held up the food, "Are you hungry?"

Byakko smelled it before taking a small bit from it. Kai handed the stick to him and grabbed another for himself. The meat was tough and stringy, but that's probably what they get for having un-raised animal meat. When Byakko was done, he looked like he wanted some of Kai's. Kai smiled as he handed it over, having already eaten some.

"We're going to need more meat later." Ed said. "We should probably look for eatable things as well."

Kai nodded, "Byakko, will you be okay with Max?" He looked at him.

Byakko nodded. Ed started to throw dirt onto the fire. Kai helped Byakko get up once he put stuff away. Kai nodded to Max and Max did his scan. Byakko stayed still and quiet as they started to walk.

They got to the river with no problem. They started to follow it and everything was peaceful. There was no sound other than their own breathing and footsteps. The air was cold and windy. Max had stopped with his scanning, since Byakko didn't like it. He figured that if Byakko wanted to protect Kai so much, he would sense out danger. By lunch time, they can by the bend in the river. Kai was glad that they had reached that, though now is when they need to plan.

"We'll set up camp and I'll get some fish." Kai said as they went over to the river.

Byakko looked excited about the river. He was leaning over the edge, being uncomfortable close to the freezing water. Byakko looked at Kai with his tail whipping happily. "Don't go into the water. It's cold." Kai said as he sat down next to Byakko. He cased his line out, knowing that Max could do this better as he waits. But, Kai figured that Byakko should relax a bit before going back to them. It used to be just Kai or Jade with him, so he probably didn't like all these other people around them. Kai realized that Rei never wanted the others to know, but it was good that at least Byakko knew Kai, otherwise they would've been worried out of their minds about Rei's state. Byakko placed his head on Kai's leg, close to his knee. Kai rubbed Byakko's head, knowing that he was now content.

"Kai is so weird with Byakko around." Tyson commented as they were getting the fire going.

"We've all noticed it." Max said, "It's like Jade doesn't even exist."

"I'm sure that's not the case." Kenny said. "It's probably like pet love."

"I don't think so. Not the way that Byakko looks at me."

"Could be one sided, if that was the case." Tyson offered, "I know Kai loves only Jade."

"His behavior says otherwise, especially Byakko's."

Tyson looked at the river, since they weren't that far from it. Kai could be seen, but not Byakko. Since Kai wasn't freaking out, Byakko probably was doing alright. "We should stop talking about it." Tyson got up, "It's normal to Kai so it isn't a problem."

"It is when Byakko randomly attacks. What if Byakko is more animal than human?"

"That's something they will have to come across." Tyson walked over to Kai, not wanting to test Byakko's behavior, but to let Byakko know him. He saw Byakko laying beside Kai and his head on Kai's leg. It looked like Kai was with his pet or something. "Hey." He noticed that Byakko didn't care that Tyson was there, and so sat down next to Byakko.

"We're catching some." Kai pointed to the fish that they had caught. There were six so far, and they normally had one each before.

"Why are you still fishing?" Tyson asked.

Kai patted Byakko's chest, "He needs to eat more."

"Shouldn't he eat as much as Rei?"

"Rei can control his body, but Byakko is still controlled by his stomach. He may have human emotions and understanding, he is still a tiger at heart. Right, Byakko?" Tyson could hear Byakko purring as he rubbed his cheek on Kai's leg. "So, I don't want him to be hungry later on. I just wish I could get him something that will fill him better."

"Don't tigers sleep after eating?"

"That depends on what he is doing afterwards. If he still needs to move, he won't. If he can rest, he will." Kai scratched Byakko's chin. "You can start cooking those now, if you want."

"I came to get to know Byakko." Tyson smiled before laughing, seeing that Byakko didn't care.

"That's going to be hard." Kai said as Byakko was obviously ignoring Tyson by playing with Kai's jacket. "He doesn't like to play with Jade all that much."

"How did Jade take him?"

"Good.. She did notice everything you guys are probably talking about."

"Was she always with you two?"

"Not always. I normally took Byakko out while she was in school, but I involved her when she wasn't in school."

"How about at night clubs?" Jade had gotten them to go many times. Rei always seemed to be forced to be there, and only danced when begged. Though, he and Kai had always stayed the latest.

"Byakko doesn't like the bright lights and music. I also think he doesn't like being surrounded by people."

"Does Rei talk to Byakko as well?"

"Yeah," Kai pulled another fish from the water. "Rei always talks to him whenever there is a free moment. Rei can actually hear Byakko's voice."

"So you just understand him." Kai placed it with the others.

"Yep," Kai threw back the line. "But because of him, I have learned to read Chinese. So, as long as he has something to write on, he can talk to me."

Byakko grabbed Kai's sleeve with his teeth. Kai looked at him before moving his arm so that it was he was petting the side of his face. "It does seem like you treat him more like a cat than a human." Tyson commented.

"He likes to be what he is and treated as such." Kai scratched Byakko's face. Byakko seemed to enjoy it. He suddenly got up, but Tyson noticed how much Byakko considered himself a four legged animal as he danced around Kai. Kai smiled as he tossed the rod to Tyson. Tyson caught it as Kai got up and started to play with Byakko. Kai kept them away from the fish and river, though Tyson could see that Kai was having fun. It was like playing with a dog in a play fight.

When there was a bit on the line, Byakko had tackled Kai to the ground, the end of their game. Normally, Byakko would just lay on Kai until Kai coaxed him off. But, since Byakko has a competition, Byakko was rubbing his face all over Kai's face, taking a lick to show affection.

"How many do you want?" Tyson asked as Kai was being loved.

"Another would be good." Kai said as he was tickling Byakko's side for his coaxing. Kai understood that Byakko was showing more affection because of Max. Once Kai noticed that Byakko was overwhelmed by the tickling, Kai rolled them over so that Byakko was on the ground instead, "I won." Kai said with a smile on his face.

Byakko blushed as he advert his eyes from Kai. Kai thought he knew why as well, and wasn't sure how to react to it when everyone else was around. Kai would normally refer to that mysterious time, though in a way that would reaffirm Jade's place. Since Kai didn't want the others to know of such a time, he just rubbed Byakko's stomach. Byakko looked at him before settling into a smile.

Max wished that Kai wouldn't do such things with Rei's body. Sure, another being in possessing it, but can't he respect Rei's body? Rei wouldn't want to be retreated like an animal, so why should they treat his body like one now? Max also didn't like how seeing it was physically showing what he feared for so long. Tyson caught another and Kai and he brought them all back to the fire. As they were cooking, Byakko was laying his head on Kai's leg as a blanket was placed over him this time. Byakko looked to be asleep as Kai was stroking his face gently.

"Where do we go from here?" Max asked, wanting to end the show.

Kai pulled out the map with one hand and laid it out on the other side of Byakko, though never removing his hand closest to Byakko. "We're now here." He pointed to the bend in the river, "And this is where we need to be." He pointed to the center, "I'm not sure of what land mark to use, but obviously this is the direction we need to head in."

"So we can follow that, no problem." Tyson said.

"Problem is," Kai pointed to where they came from, "the sun rises from this point and sets here," Kai moved his finger to the other side, "And there isn't a landmark on this map that we can use to say if we're on the right track. We could end up back tracking and not even realize it."

"I could always scan our way through." Max offered, "It's the best chance we have at finding the center."

"We don't even know what materials the center contains." Ed interfered, "What if it's made of natural material or things around there are structured that way?"

"It's better than not trying anything." Max pointed out, "Besides, I can also keep us relatively safe from the creatures."

"Not that I don't want you to try your hardest," Kai interrupted, "but don't use it all the time. I can't know how well Byakko will react to it if around it longer."

"He was fine with it before." Mac pointed out.

"I believed you stopped once we got to the river, right?" Kai asked, "Byakko was a lot calmer afterwards. I know that Byakko won't show his opinion of it, but I don't want him to be solely focusing on that."

"Well, he's here now so he has to get used to Alchemy being used." Max was annoyed at how Kai was trying to be caring, "I mean, it's my thing and it's what I'm good at. I don't want to hold back the team any more."

Kai looked at him, wondering why he thought that what happened was his fault. "That's telling me that I need to see how much Byakko is willing to listen to me." Kai looked serious, "He's faster than me and stronger. If he wanted to, he could do anything he wanted and I couldn't stop him. He listens to me because he loves me."

Max looked at Byakko, who seemed to not be paying attention to what was going on. "So I shouldn't use Alchemy when I'm battling."

"I'm sure that Byakko would understand in that situation." Kai figured that since the scan is probably near Kai is the reason Byakko doesn't like it. "As long as you're not battling me."

"How about you go as far as you can sense with Draciel and have something there be used as your landmark?" Ed offered.

"You mean create a landmark?" Max thought about it, "That should work."

"Would you be able to give a distance?" Kai asked, knowing that a landmark midway would be good, but knowing how far it would be until they reached it would also be good.

"Yeah, I could."

"What if it gets destroyed or something?" Tyson asked.

"I have a way to get around that." Max smiled, "I have been studying this world so I understand how to know if something is the landmark or not."

"Then do so after we eat." Kai said as he picked one of the fishes from the fire circle since they were done. "Byakko?" Kai called to him, wanting to know if he was awake. He didn't move and Kai then noticed that he was sleeping. Knowing that he had feared going to sleep, Kai was glad that he was. Kai bit into the one that he picked up since he didn't want to disturb Byakko.

Max was thinking about it as he was eating. He knew that Draciel's distance was greater, especially when in a straight line. It wouldn't help if he was off in getting them to the center. Max was studying the map, trying to calculate the correct spot to create a straight line. It needed to be as precise as possible, since there is a limit to how far Draciel can scan.

Tyson was impressed by how much effort Max was putting into every task that is given to him. It's like he doesn't want to fail, though Tyson knew that it wasn't so deeply rooted into his mind that he can't lose. The four that was caught for Byakko were placed away from the fire, though Byakko was still sleeping. They were now waiting for Max to finish before they get up. Tyson just realize that they're going to need to hunt more than search since they were coming here during winter. "Before we head out, do you think that Byakko should hunt?"

"Why?" Kai looked at him.

"We're not going to find fruits around this time, so we need food, right? How likely is he going to find food the deeper we go."

Kai nodded, "Good point." Kai realized that he had been relying on Rei to provide such insight. Why wasn't he thinking about them? Was his mind that clouded that he couldn't think properly?

"Okay, I have the direction." Max said before handing over the map to Kai.

Kai nodded, gently nudging Byakko, "We have to get going."

Byakko moaned before curling up more. Kai smiled a bit, "Max, can you get some fish? I don't think Byakko would notice."

Max nodded before getting up and headed over to the river. He let Draciel spin before having him on the water. Max looked at Byakko as he waited for the group of fish to come by. When they were close enough to Max, Draciel made the water spit them out and they came onto the shore. Byakko didn't move or stir, Max noticed. He went over to pick up the fishes as Draciel came back to him. He brought them over to Kai as he placed them in Rei's bag.

Max then went over to the point of entrance. He had Draciel send a thin line of scanning so that it would go as far as it possibly can. It went 50 kilometers away from them, but only forest was around it. Max sucked out the world element and moved it 25 kilometers away from them. Max then used the pure elements to make a small stone statue of Draciel. 25 kilometers away was another Draciel statue, though a bit bigger since he didn't need a lot of material for it. "Okay." Max looked back at everyone, glad that Byakko didn't wake up, "There are two statues of Draciel. One is 25 kilometers away and another at 50 kilometers. 50 kilometers is as far as I can reach."

Kai nodded before lifting up Byakko and putting him on his back. He made sure that Byakko was on his back evenly and comfortably, "Lead the way."

Max nodded as everyone else got their things. Kenny put out the fire and they all headed down the path that Max saw as he scanned. Max was studying the area more than anyone else since he wanted to know what he was able to see. He noticed that all he was able to see was snow and earth that lay on the path of his beam. Would that be good enough? Does he need to know more than that? Probably, Max figured as he brought out his journal to write down what he had learned. The normal limit of Draciel's scan was 40 kilometers, so by putting everything into a small beam, he was able to increase it by ten. Though, when he does his whole sphere, it's still 40 kilometers. Even though it wasn't discovering something about elements and such, Max figured that all secrets he had been discovering about pathways and redirecting should all be place within his journal.

Though, since not everyone can use Alchemy here, was there really a point in doing so? He couldn't pass it on to anyone. And if everything magically goes his way, there would be no point in thinking about passing it on.

"What's wrong?" Ed asked.

Max smiled, glad that Ed could see through him, "I was just wondering if there really is a point in writing some of the stuff I have been down since I can't really pass it on."

"You never know." Ed said, "This world seems a lot more mystical than I originally thought. After all, I couldn't use my Alchemy here and yet you can. You're the impossibility that occurred and I'm sure that I'll face more while in this world. And what if it becomes important later? What if you're just the start of this process to allow people to use Alchemy?"

Max smiled, "Thanks, Ed. I guess I was just thinking in the present."

"No problem." Ed smiled back.

Byakko started to stir after a long while. Kai stopped since it seemed like Byakko was getting nervous about something. Everyone else stopped as well, though Max was nervous about using his scanning to see if they were about to be attacked.

"Well?" Tyson asked, having Dragoon out already just in case.

"I'm not sure." Kai had never been around when Byakko was sleeping for this long. Normally, Kai could get him up easily, or Rei would suddenly appear. Kai held onto Byakko's arms, "Max, take a look around."

Max pulled out Draciel and let him spin in his palm. "We're going to be attacked from that direction." Max pointed to his right, "It seems to be something that's cold." Max wondered why the elements he was sensing were gases that would be produced by fire, but they seemed to be able to stay at a colder state than one that a fire would be at. "And we don't have enough time to avoid them."

"Hide then. We'll surprise them." Kai ordered and everyone went behind some trees, though made sure that they could all see each other. Kai made sure that Byakko was secured on his back before he started to hear the sound of trees crashing. He looked to see blue flame guys, similar to that fire guy they had faced the first night. They had stopped in the spot where they were. Kai didn't like that, since that meant that they were searching for them and not simply passing by. Kai brought out Dranzer and looked at his teammates. Both of them nodded as Tyson got ready.

Max scanned a bit to make sure he could remember the way to get back on track. Ed was keeping watch for him since he was checking everything he could to his 25 kilometer and was memorizing it. Tyson was watching Kai since he was keeping tabs on the creatures. He wondered why they looked so similar to the one that they had faced before. So far, no other creature looked similar to each other.

Kai raised his hand, holding up three fingers. Kenny was preparing for the battle, though wishing that didn't included securing his laptop so it doesn't get damaged. They were really amazing when they fought against these creatures that Kenny wanted to capture it. Ed tabbed the tree they were near lightly. Max stopped scanning and looked over at Kai, seeing him holding up two fingers. Max felt the air around them. He couldn't use himself with the temperature falling like this.

"Dranzer!" Kai called as he launched at the creatures.

"Dragoon!"

"Draciel!" Max moved Draciel over to them, since he was already spinning. Their Bit Beast appeared immediately, being the only thing that they see as an opponent. Their Bit Beasts were doing well against these creatures, but Kai was quickly noticing that they weren't going to give up. Kai didn't want to have to kill them, even if they were seeking them out. But, they also couldn't run. Byakko and their things were too heavy for Kai to run for long. If Byakko would wake up, then they could run. Kai wondered what was keeping him from waking up. Surely, Byakko could feel this battle occurring. Shouldn't that be enough to wake him?

He heard a sound behind him and looked to see that more were coming from that direction. Kai moved out of the way, slightly rolling to stand again. He looked at his teammates. Tyson was protecting Kenny with his new sword and Max and Ed were standing on their own.

Another creature was going after him, making him move. He was glad that Rei had taught him how to fight, since he was able to move away from the attacks, but he wasn't sure how long he would be able to keep it up. He was suddenly kicked in his side and thrown into the midst of the Bit Beast battle. It hurt so much since it felt like a freezer burn. As he was getting up, he noticed that Byakko wasn't on his back. He moved so that his stomach was lying on the ground and looked behind him, seeing Byakko was laying on the ground.

Before he had a chance to move over to him, to protect him, the icy fingers picked him up by his neck and brought the two face to face. The creature smiled, "So sorry to inform you, but daddy isn't going to save you from me today."

Kai threw a punch, but he caught it, "Oh, is daddy no longer protecting you? Are you a big boy now?"

Kai started to feel something from within him. It wasn't what happened before in the cave or what happened with Dark Dranzer. Kai was slammed to the ground, knocking the wind out of him. "I see that I shouldn't be wasting my time chatting with you." His other hand, the one that had held his punch, was now brighter with his icy flame, "Too bad you'll never see your family again."

Kai suddenly noticed that the creature wasn't on him anymore and that Byakko was awake. Byakko was growling at the creature that was planning on killing Kai. The whole earth started to quake, making everyone pause. Max looked over at Kai and Byakko, scanning to see that the creature had the same signature as the one within Lee. Max wasn't sure what that meant, but by looking at Kai, he knew that it wasn't a good thing. This was the first time that Max saw Kai holding fear in his eyes; a fear that Max had experienced himself once in this world, a fear that made him able to kill these creatures without a second thought. He also noticed that the ground was moving to spikes.

"Don't move!" Max called as Draciel pushed all the Beyblades away and Draciel, in turn, did the same with the Bit Beast. Tyson looked over at Kai and Byakko as spikes came popping out from the ground all around them. It got all the creatures that they were fighting, including the one that was in front of them. The look on Kai's face was one that Tyson had never seen before. It was the look that told you the person was about to experience death firsthand. Tyson never thought it could be that horrifying to see on a person's face.

"I will be back for you, Little Kai." The creature said before disappearing into dust. Kai looked around, seeing all of them doing so and his team looking at him. He wondered what they saw on his face as he stood up. He touched Byakko's shoulder, making him turn around.

Kai smiled at him, "Let's go." Byakko returned the ground to the way it was and Kai went over to their things. "Lead the way, Max." Kai said in his usual voice.

Max knew that this wasn't good, but didn't say anything as he scanned and led the way. Max knew that it wasn't a good thing that Kai was keeping it inside and he also hated the fact that they couldn't do anything to save him. They were away from him, they weren't paying attention to him. What would've happened if Byakko wasn't there? Max didn't want to think about it since it was bringing back his own memories of survival. Ed placed his hand on Max's shoulder.

Tyson looked behind him, seeing that Kai didn't want to appear to be fazed. Byakko was near him, but Byakko didn't seem to know what Kai was hiding. Byakko looked relieved that Kai was saved, but Tyson could tell that Kai was now scarred. Kai was just putting on a strong face for them because he was their leader. Was this the determination that Kai always had? It also wasn't a good thing that the creature seemed to know Kai.

When they stopped for the night, they were half way to their first mark. As Tyson and Kenny were cooking the fish, Max went over to Kai. He wished that Byakko wasn't around, because he just wanted to tell Kai alone. Byakko was staring at him as he laid his head on Kai's shoulder.

"Something wrong?" Kai asked, acting normal.

Max sat down in front of him, "I'm sorry we couldn't do something to help you." He looked at Tyson, seeing that Ed was helping them, "We all can see that…"

"There was nothing that you could've done." Kai said, "So don't start saying that anything was your fault."

"I've experienced the same thing you did, Kai." Kai could see that Max was telling him the truth. "Not by the same hand, but I had someone ready to end my life as I was training so I can understand what you're going through, even if no one saved my life."

"You're here now." Kai pointed out, wondering when this training occurred and why did he need to go training.

"That's because I killed the person before I was killed." Max knew that's when it started for him. He was afraid of being killed by these creatures that he always killed them on the spot before they got back. "And because of I feared the other people that was similar to the one I killed, I had always killed them the first chance I got." Max took in a deep breathe, not wanting to remember the time that he was alone, "What I'm trying to say," Max looked at Kai, "don't hold this in. We can't help all that much, but if you let this fear take hold of you, you won't be able to stand on your own anymore."

Kai nodded, "Thanks Max. This isn't the first time I felt fear, but I'll keep that in mind."

"That creature that was fighting you had the same signature as the one within Lee." Max looked serious, "I'm not sure what that means, but I know that it can't be good, especially if it wants you. That seemed to be it's goal and we all know how much trouble we had with him before."

"Was it killed?" Kai wanted to know, now realizing his fear.

Max shook his head, "No, I could sense that. I wasn't looking too heavily at what was happening, but I'm sure that he wasn't killed. How is your wound?" Max only now noticed it.

"It's fine." Kai placed his hand on it. "I don't think it's numb."

Byakko moved across him since it was on the other side and was about to lick it. Kai stopped him, seeing that his tongue was discolored. Then the memory of Byakko biting the creature came into mind, "Let me look." Kai said as he lifted his head but Byakko got his head out of Kai's hands. "Can you do anything?"

Max could see that Kai was concerned for Byakko more than himself. "I might, but I probably need to see what damage has been done first."

Kai petted Byakko, "Byakko, please."

Byakko laid his head next to Kai's body before opening his mouth to Max. Max looked inside, seeing a lot of skin and tissue damaged. It didn't seem to be too serious, "Can I treat you? I'll need to use my powers to do so."

Byakko glared at him, but it was obvious that it would've hurt to growl at him. "How about if I stay with you?" Kai asked, "You need to get better too."

"I'll get the circle ready." Max said as he pulled out Draciel and stood up, "Come over whenever he's ready." Max went closer to the fire.

"What's up?" Tyson asked.

"They're both burn a bit and we have to keep an eye out for a creature that can either change his shape or is able to transfer a bit of himself into other beings." Max let Draciel drop and he was creating a simple circle since Rendanshu doesn't need something really complicated for this treatment.

"You mean the one that was within Lee was in the one that was attacking Kai?" Kenny asked.

Max nodded, "I'm not sure how, but that's all I do know."

Tyson nodded as Kai and Byakko came over, "Is it ready?" Kai asked.

Max nodded, "Go ahead."

Byakko was really nervous and was clinging to Kai as they stepped inside. Kai had them sit down, holding onto Byakko so he wouldn't leave before it was done. "Nothing bad is going to happen, Byakko." Kai said soothingly.

Max got on one knee, "It won't hurt, I promise." Max smiled, wanting Byakko to be relaxed. Once Byakko seemed to be relatively okay with it, Max placed his hands on the smaller circle that was in front of himself. Since he couldn't use himself as that other circle, it was best to do Rendanshu correctly.

Kai could feel his burn slowly healing. Byakko obviously didn't liking it by his movements, but Kai was able to hold onto him. Max was noticing that it was easier to heal Kai, probably because his skin wasn't sensitive as the mouth. Max was trying to ease his power, wanting to get this done quickly, but didn't want to cause Byakko a lot of pain. When he got it so Byakko wasn't thrashing about, Max was nearly done. "There you go." Max said with a smile when he was done.

"Here you go Byakko." Tyson said, holding out two fishes.

Before Byakko had a chance to refuse them, he felt Kai's lips on the back of his ear, away from the other's eyes. "Good Byakko." Kai whispered to him before grabbing the fishes from Tyson. "Here are your treats." Kai said with a smile as he held them up for Byakko.

Byakko was blushing as he took one gently and was eating it quietly, knowing what part was his true treat. "Thanks Max." Kai looked at him.

Max nodded, "No problem." He smiled. He went over to Ed and started eating as well.

Once everyone was done, they went to sleep. Byakko was still eating a fish as Kai was staying up. He was now trying to remember what that creature said. He said that daddy wasn't going to come save him and that he wouldn't be able to see his family again. Does this mean that Kai is connected to this world more deeply than he thought? That creature knows his past. What was happening to him anyway, before he was slammed to the ground? It was like a fire was being produced within him. He wished Rei was here, the only one that he would be able to talk to about this. Rei also talked to the creature, so maybe he knew something that he didn't. He was also after Mariah, but probably because he was ordered to or something.

When Byakko was done, he sat next to Kai, but gathered Kai into his arms instead. "Byakko?" Kai looked at him, wondering what he was doing.

Byakko laid his head gently on Kai's, wanting to talk to him instead of writing. He could tell that Kai wanted to be comforted, even if his fear wasn't going to leave. Kai gave into Byakko once he got what he was doing. "Thanks Byakko… Can you keep watch tonight?"

Byakko nodded. Kai made sure there was a blanket around Byakko before falling asleep. Kai noticed how much he needed this. He wondered if this is what he had always been searching for since leaving the abbey. The feeling that says you're safe and home.

In the morning, they ate more fish before heading out. "We're now 25 kilometers in the right direction." Max said before noticing that something one was near. "And we're not the only ones."

"There goes lunch." Tyson said as they got ready for the fight. Byakko started to growl loudly once he caught the scent of who was around. Kai grabbed his arm, making sure that he didn't go running off somewhere or attack.

"It's been awhile, Kai." Kai looked ahead of them, seeing that the Demolition Boys were now in their path.

WOW!! A lot has happened in another four days. It's cute how Byakko is all over Kai and is protecting him. Though, what about this creature that seems to want Kai? What is it about Kai that makes him the one that it wants? Could it be that Kai had hurt its feelings when Kai was a baby? A lot of mysteries are starting to surround Kai, but is there anyone that can provide the answers? Probably not.


	25. Chap 24 Tiger Challenge

Byakko roared at them as Kai was struggling to hold him back.

Nah!! I ain't gonna do that just yet. HI EVERYONE!! I bet you want to get into the story sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo badly, huh? Well… What if I were to say no? What if, this was the only thing you got for this chapter of their lives, huh? What then? Huh? HUH? … Okay, you win.. Be that way…

Byakko roared at them as Kai was struggling to hold him back. Kai was using all of his weight to keep Byakko where they were. Kai understood what Byakko was feeling. They were there when things happened to Rei and Kai knew that they knew what was going on. If Byakko had seen them before, then he probably wants to kill them.

Max was surprised that Byakko was now a raged animal, willing to kill anything in its path, and yet, he still is able to be tamed by Kai. Even though Kai probably couldn't see it right now, Byakko wasn't overwhelming and wasn't trying all that hard to break away from Kai. Was that the real power of love in this situation?

"What are you doing here?" Tyson asked since Kai was busy.

"We're here to win, obviously." Tala answered.

"And we want to challenge Rei." Brian said, pointing to the raging tiger.

The whole team was in shock. Didn't they see that this was obviously not Rei? Kai had his grip loosen and Byakko broke free. Kai launched himself at Byakko, pinning him down underneath his own weight.

"I see, he's scared of us." Ian said with a laugh.

"Rei would never be afraid of you freaks!" Tyson said. Kai noticed that Byakko was getting even angrier.

Max looked into their molecules to see what was going on. He noticed that they had a Bakumon in them, by the amount of the element was present. "Why do you want to challenge Rei first?" He wondered if their minds were affected by this impure placement. He wondered if Kai's was the correct way to exist in this world. Did this world element needed to be mixed into the structure so that it wouldn't make the mind or minds go crazy? He wished that he had learned all the chemistry that Ed did through all the books that Max bought for him. He might then understand a way to see what this world really was doing to their minds. Though, he would probably need to know something about the brain and nerves systems, which was only now being looked into.

"Then why is he cowering before us?" Spencer asked with a superior look on his face.

"Don't ever call Rei a coward." Kai looked at them with fierceness in his own eyes. "You wouldn't know what hit you if you fought for real with Rei."

"Please, don't make him a superhero." Brian said as if it should be a joke. "We know that he's just a weak, defenseless and broken tool inside."

"Rei is not a tool!" Kenny defended.

Max started to notice that the earth was moving again. He looked back at Kai and Byakko, wondering if it was Byakko that was doing it. "Kai, calm him down." Max didn't know how it was possible that someone that didn't know Alchemy could move the earth, but at the moment, it didn't matter. Byakko was dangerous enough.

"Byakko," Kai whispered to him softly, "this isn't how we deal with our enemies. You can't fight them with your fist. If you kill them, you can't bring them back. You'll have a bitter taste in your mouth." Nothing seemed to be calming him down, since the earth was now shaking more. "Byakko, please, we'll get revenge for what they did to Rei, but this isn't what he would want. He wouldn't want to kill them, no matter what they did to him. Please, Byakko, I know you're angry, but please calm down." Kai was wondering if the love that Byakko had was less than the hatred he apparently had for those that did something to Rei. Kai didn't understand his own feelings for his own actions. It was like Byakko was now more of an animal than an animal with a human understanding. Kai hugged Byakko tighter, not understanding why he didn't want to kill them. They were part of Biovolt. They do deserve to be killed for what they did, but at the same time, they were probably ordered to do so. What if they had another chance to prove themselves to be something different from what they learned from Biovolt, from Boris, from his Grandfather? "Byakko, don't do this. Don't make everyone think you're not able to be a person as well."

The ground stopped shaking. Everyone was looking confused, though Max looked less confused. Byakko looked like he had given into Kai's words, whatever they were. Kai also looked like he was suffering, something that rarely appears on their leader's face. It was showing more and more that Byakko was more important to him than anyone else before. Max wondered if Kai had been able to develop such a relationship with only Byakko.

Max walked over to them, kneeling down near them, "Byakko, we all want to get back at them for what they did, but we can't kill them." He petted his head, "None of us want Rei to suffer."

Byakko didn't move or make any attempt to do something. Tyson came over as well, with Kenny and Ed. Kai got off Byakko, though sitting near him. Byakko was now shaking himself as Max continued to pet him. They were all close enough to hear him crying, though it was obvious that he didn't want anyone to see. Max smiled a bit, remembering that Ed said that Rei had run off to cry by himself. Maybe Byakko wanted to appear to be that strong in front of them.

"What's this?" Tala asked, "We challenge you to a Beybattle and this is how you respond? Are you all cowards as well?"

Kai got up, "I'll fight Brian instead of Rei." His team looked at him. Kai figured that Byakko shouldn't fight. He didn't know if Byakko knew how to handle a Beyblade or if Driger would listen to Byakko. Rei never mentioned if they had gotten along or not. All that and more would be tested if Byakko fought right now, and Kai didn't want to test anything concerning Byakko.

Tala smiled wickedly, "Your time to fight will come. We want to fight against Rei first."

"They are being controlled." Max informed quietly.

"They're acting differently than the others." Ed pointed out, looking at them, "Have any idea on why they would want to challenge Rei more than you guys?" Ed looked back at the BladeBreakers.

"Kai?" Tyson looked at him, knowing that he would have more experiences to base it off of.

"… It could be that information about his fighting skills was passed around and now they need to make sure that they know what they're facing when dealing with Rei."

"That doesn't make much sense, since you would think that they would question Byakko's behavior, but they acted like it didn't exist."

"Could it be that they're controlled?" Kenny asked.

"I kinda looked for that, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary with the molecules and such." Max said.

"What if it's more like what you had to do with the Beyblades?"

Max thought about it for a moment, knowing that that might be true. After all, it wasn't Alchemy that helped him find it. It was Draciel. "That is a possibility, but I would need to look while a fight is going on, since I'm sure more controlling would be needed if a battle would occur."

"You're going to fight someone that's not Rei." Kai informed the Demolition Boys.

"That wouldn't do, little Phoenix." Everyone was confused when Tala said that. That wouldn't be something that Tala would say, ever.

"After all, he still needs to be a usable tool for us." Brian said.

Before anyone could counter or comment, Byakko got himself up. Kai wondered why Byakko looked really calm right now. "You're not going to fight." Kai said, looking at Byakko.

Max got up as Byakko looked at Kai, wondering why Byakko was begging to go, but with serious eyes. "Rei." Byakko said in his unique combination of Rei and some sweeter voice.

"We all want the same thing, Byakko. I don't want anything to happen to you, though. I don't want you going out there to fight." Kai looked serious as well.

Byakko places his hands on the sides of Kai's face, his eyes smiling and begging. Kai knew that Byakko wanted to take revenge by himself, but what if something happened to him? Kai didn't want to lose him as well. When Byakko pulled Kai's face closer to his, Ed covered Max's eyes. Max just stood there, knowing what was occurring and getting mad that it did. He was grateful that Ed was covering up that Byakko was kissing Kai and probably that Kai wasn't rejecting him in any way. The one thing he didn't see was that Kai was just too shock to move. Byakko pulled back quickly before running over to where the battlefield would be.

"Bya…" Kai was about to run after him before Tyson stopped him, "What…"

"Let him do this, Kai." Tyson said, firmly, "I bet he feels like he couldn't help Rei when you were in Russia. Maybe this is the only way that Byakko can help Rei."

"What do you know?" Kai yelled, with Tyson, and everyone else, surprised to see Kai's worrisome expression. "What if something happens to Byakko when they're fighting?"

"You still have to let him do this." Max said, now able to see. He looked at Byakko, who was getting the launcher ready as Brian was walking over. "If Rei was conscious, do you really think he would allow Byakko the chance to get his piece of the revenge? This might be Byakko's only chance to avenge Rei. At the very least," Max looked at Kai, "allow him the chance to heal from what happened."

Kai knew all of that. He really did since he could read Byakko a lot better than they could. He looked at Byakko, hating that he was getting a feeling that something would go horribly wrong. It was a feeling too strong for him to suppress and say that everything would be okay. Rei had never allowed Byakko merged with himself when using Driger. Kai didn't want to know what the end result would be.

"Three, two, one, Let it Rip!" Ian yelled and the battle begun. Byakko was present for when Rei had battled in those rings. Byakko was the one that held all of Rei's special tricks. Byakko knew what Brian meant by 'tool' and Byakko wasn't about to let anyone use Rei as a tool. No one would hurt Rei again, Byakko promised the day that the chip was placed upon his head.

Everyone on the BladeBreakers' side was astonished that Byakko was great. It was like he had mastered everything that Rei knew and improved on it. Brian even looked worried, if that accounted for anything.

"Should I… scan?" Max asked, too surprised to do it immediately. After all, there were moves that were near the level that Krypton wanted them to be at in order for them to use what they learned on that mountain. He wasn't able to figure out a reason as to why Byakko was able to use them when Rei couldn't. It was even weird with Byakko's position. He wasn't moving as Driger was, like with Jade and Krypton.

"… No… Don't do it with him fighting." Kai said, not wanting Byakko to get uncomfortable. If he could win quickly, without summoning Driger, then everything would be alright. That's what he was telling himself now, anyway. He was also surprised that Brian wasn't using his dirty tricks to win. He never stopped while Kai was at the abbey, so why do this cleanly? Could it be that the controlled him couldn't because the person controlling him didn't know what Brain could do?

Tyson was wondering if Byakko was able to tap into Rei's abilities. Like, Byakko was able to move Driger because Rei's body was able to do it. It didn't make much sense, since it wasn't really Rei's body that controlled Driger's movements. But, Tyson couldn't think of anything else. The way that Driger moved was very Rei like and it was even sharper than before. There wasn't any wasted movements or any moment of hesitation.

Kenny was glad that he was able to get this great fight on his laptop. It wasn't really like Rei fighting against the creatures, by any means, but it was great. It was showing how good Byakko was himself. The look in his eyes was telling everyone that he was the one in control.

But then Brian smiled for some reason, as if he was winning. "You think that you've won?" Byakko wondered what he meant. Other than Byakko wasn't finishing him off quickly, Byakko was still controlling and dominating the fight. "Falborg!"

A huge gust of wind appeared and Byakko made sure that everyone behind him was safe. He had made small shields for himself with the dust that was within the area. That was one thing that Byakko wished he could do. He wished that he could be as awesome as Rei with the techniques from that show. Byakko was only able to do the ones that related to the earth. Rei could do them all. Byakko looked behind him, seeing that everyone was okay before going back to facing Brian.

A falcon had appeared in the sky, glowing, but now in more color. Byakko knew that this wasn't right, since that's not how he appears when fused with Driger. Falborg roared at Byakko before launching at him.

Kai felt helpless as he watched Byakko fight against Falborg. He didn't want Byakko fighting at all, but Brian was giving him no choice. Max noticed how Byakko's movements were even better than Rei's. Kai did say that Byakko was gained when Rei went missing all those months ago. Could Byakko hold secret moves that Rei had learned while away? It would make sense why Byakko was a lot better than Rei right now, even though this would be his first time fighting a Beybattle, according to Kai. Max looked at Kai, wondering if he knew something that they didn't. He was so against Byakko fighting, as if knowing that something would go wrong. Was letting him fight the right decision? Did Kai only give in because he was now hoping for the best? Max looked back at the fight, wondering what would happen now.

Kenny could see that he was now collecting data on the improved Rei. It probably wasn't the correct term to use to refer to what was happening before his eyes, but it was the only way he could think of it right now. Kai wasn't kidding when he said that Byakko was a lot stronger and faster than him. Kenny had been taping Rei's physically fights with Tyson, and could tell that this was a lot better than that. It was a lot better than what he was doing against Ed when they came here. It was even a lot better than the fights Rei had partaken in even more recently.

But, he also knew that Byakko couldn't simply be a better version of Rei. He shouldn't be able to tap into the skills that Rei had. Rei had once told him that the skills he had are a result of years and years of training and no one would be able to handle what he was able to do now. But Byakko was using them and looked like he had even mastered them. There wasn't any hesitation, like in his Beyblading skills. Was there something that Byakko was produced to do? A reason to his life he needs to fulfill rather than just existing? That made Byakko sound like a tool more than a life form.

By the way that Kai had explained and showed, Byakko wasn't viewed that way by either one of them. They saw Byakko as a life and someone that can think on his own and lives a happy life. Kenny noticed that now Byakko sounds more like a pet, since they exist as a placement for stuff, but the people they live with care about them as if they were a person. He wondered if there was an expiration date on how long Byakko was allowed to exist as a separate entity from Rei.

"Go for the win, Byakko!" Tyson cheered, very excited about this match. He could tell that everyone else would probably be wondering about Byakko's abilities, but he could also see that Byakko was enjoying it on some small level. Maybe all Byakko wanted to do was fight against strong opponents, even if this was a personal battle for him. That fighting spirit was something that Kai shouldn't be able to argue with, Tyson figured. He could also be guessing totally wrong, but it was an awesome fight nonetheless. He hoped that Byakko was enjoying himself to a point out there.

"Seems like they want you apart of the team." Brian said. Byakko was only able to hear him since he was focusing on Falborg. He did a hard punch, sending Falborg behind them and into the trees. Byakko looked at Brian, seeing him smiling. "Or do you prefer to be the lone tiger?" Falborg started to stand up again. Byakko was ticked off. A beast should know when it was defeated. "Maybe I should test to see if you have more will to your spirit."

Byakko looked at Driger, wondering why he was coming out. Byakko wasn't calling him out, and it seemed like Driger was resisting. Byakko looked at his opponent, wondering if he had some magic to him that allowed him to do this. Byakko launched at his human opponent, wanting him to stop. Byakko was going to be the only tiger at this battle.

Kai was horrified by what Byakko was about to do to Brian, but even more so when Driger came out. As soon as Driger came out of the Beyblade, Byakko suddenly disappeared. A flash of light burst from where Driger was. And because of the light, Kai had to shield his eyes. As soon as the light disappeared, he looked back at the field, first seeing that Byakko didn't return. He looked at where Driger should be and was even more worried.

In Driger's place was Byakko, or rather Rei's body, more like Rei's form. Instead of clothes, there was fur covering his body. He had longer ears, though still very cat like in their structure. The tail was a lot thicker and had more obvious paws instead of feet and hands. There were thick whiskers and the human hair was also striped with white, but the hair was still bond. What Kai didn't like the most was its eyes. It was completely white and beams were coming out of them.

Brian whistled, "Wonder if I should be scared. Falborg!" He looked at his beast before it flew over to Byakko. Before Kai could think to do something to help, Byakko launched at Falborg, making Kai realize that this was somehow a combination of Rei and Driger. The way that it launched was much like Rei's, but the way that it's attacking Falborg was like Driger, with a few moves being Rei's. Kai didn't care that this occurred, but was worried that he couldn't see Byakko in there.

"Where's Byakko?" He looked at Max, hoping more than ever that he had an answer.

"I would have to scan to know that." Max said, seeing the fear slightly in Kai's eyes. Max hated the fact that he was being sensitive since this is the only time that Kai had ever shown these expressions or emotions to them. He was the one that was taking Rei away from him, so why should Max be of any help to Kai? Max looked at the fight, seeing that this creature was more animal than human, "From what I can see, Byakko was probably used as a catalyst for the two to be one. The moves are more animal than human, so it has to think of itself as an animal, with the knowledge that it has some human movements in its mechanics."

"But where is he? I can't see him in there." That didn't answer anything for Kai, Max noticed.

He tried not to look ticked off, since he did answer his question. He sighed, wondering what kind of answer was Kai looking for. It was probably to know that Byakko didn't vanish from this mixture, "If this is a mixture of Byakko and Driger, then that would have to mean that Byakko isn't lost because Rei isn't conscious. If it was a mixture where the human side was more dominate, I'm sure that we would be seeing more human like moves, with the knowledge that it can use some animal movements as well. Byakko is the part that knows that it can use some movements that are human, so Byakko isn't lost. Driger probably has more control."

"But how can this come about?" Tyson decided to ask, since what Max said was sensible and Kai was put at ease with his answer.

"What makes you think I know?" Max looked at Tyson.

"Well, that answer seemed to work." Tyson wanted to say that even if it was wrong, it still sounded right, but knew better to say that since Kai looked at eased with what Max came up with. Having Kai semi-normal was better than him not being normal.

"Is Byakko allowed to go into Driger, like how he can use Rei's body?" Max looked at Kai.

"Yeah… I'm not sure why, but there have been times when Byakko was within Driger." Kai could tell since Driger always acted like Byakko whenever they do merge and are not fighting. He figured that Byakko was something that was allowed to go into both, but only now knows that Byakko probably was the spirit that hid the training that Rei and Driger did while they went missing.

"Okay, so if we think of this as two substances that need to be mix, they would need something to react with otherwise they can't mix at all." Max was thinking about it, since they seemed a bit confused, "Okay, like oxygen and hydrogen don't instantly turn into water when near each other when found in air since they would already be attached to something else to make it stable. So, they need something to break them away from that something so they can attach to each other, thus making water molecules. So, think of Driger as oxygen and Rei's body as hydrogen. Byakko would then be the event that allows them to separate from their stable state and be able to combine when both are present since they have the strongest attraction to each other and they only need each other to be complete." Max decided that it was best not to mention anything about byproducts, since most reactions have such things. If this really was like an equation, Max couldn't think of any byproducts since he didn't know what made up the two individual parts. All he really knew was what one of the products was and catalyst. Since it was obvious that no one else knew anything about chemistry, he decided not to include that part. Ed looked worried, since he would know about the chances of there being another product from this mixture.

Max also knew that when doing Alchemy that both products are present, but only the one that you want comes visible, really. He knew that when he was getting those spears out from the ground, he had broken down the molecules and rearranged them to form those spears. The elements that weren't needed for the spears were then left to combine with the surrounding elements or left floating within the ground. Max right now wished he knew what the other product was going to be, since he could prepare for it before it came up.

The Tiger, as Kai decided to call it, was also able to control the Beyblade as well. There was still that battle going on as well, so that had to mean that the Tiger was able to control it as well as fight a Bit Beast. He wondered if that was possible. He also wondered if Byakko had called Driger out or if Driger came out on his own.

As the fight went on, the Tiger was using more and more human moves in its fight. Kai thought it was kinda funny that it only now thought that maybe martial arts was the advantage route to take within this fight. He looked at Brian, seeing him unfazed by this turn of events, the same as the others on his team. He wondered if the other groups, minus the White Tigers since they had that one creature with them, would've been the same.

Kenny looked at the time on his laptop, noticing that this was going on longer than any other fight that he had watched before. Well, minus when they were fighting each other. He also noticed that Brian wasn't moving at all, which would fit the possess form.

Tyson wondered if fighting a Bit Beast was a lot tougher than he had originally thought. He knew that it wasn't an easy victory, since all their fights with other Bit Beast were challenging, but this one was taking a long time for the creature to defeat. If it was able to tap into what Rei could do, wouldn't it be able to defeat Falborg quickly? Rei was an awesome fighter, and he seemed to be doing okay against Galeon. Plus, this time Driger was added to the mix, so that should boost the power that the creature had. "Does Byakko like to fight?" Tyson looked at Kai, thinking that's why this fight was taken so long.

"He likes to play." Kai looked at him, "Why?"

"I was just wondering why this fight was taken so long. I would think that having Rei, who is an awesome fighter, and Driger, who is a Bit Beast, together in one body would be an advantage in a fight like this. I know that fighting Bit Beast can't be all that easy, but I would think with Rei's skill, it would be over in minutes."

"Being a hybrid isn't always an advantage." Ed said. Max looked at him, seeing that he was remembering something from his past. It was probably all the chimeras that he had seen over the course of his life. Max hid his own worry about them being able to separate. What if they could never get Rei's body back or something happens to his soul or mind because of this?

"What do you mean by that?" Kai asked, not liking the prolong silence afterwards. Max seemed to understand something from his silence, which probably was understandable since he should know him best.

"It all depends on how the two are mixed. This isn't simple chemistry." Max could tell that Ed didn't want to worry them, but Max was already worried. He was telling them that the other product could damage Rei's body if it wasn't a correct mixture from the start. He also realized that there were three souls in one body. Did they become one soul or did each fought for its rights to rule? What kind of toll would that put on the body? Could a body handle that many spirits within? Max hated the fact that this is the only way to let him know the answer. So far, they were all working together.

"So you're saying that something might happen when this is all over?" Kenny asked, knowing that he was stepping on a landmine with Kai.

Before Ed had a chance to answer, Falborg was placed back into Beyblade, which simply fell down to the ground. As the Tiger was starting to do the same, another flash of light occurred and something was thrown over in the direction of the BladeBreakers. Everyone looked behind them to see Rei's beaten body next to a tree.

"Byakko!" Kai called, running over to him quickly as the others followed. The body had steam coming off of it and he looked hurt. Kai fell next him, "Byakko?" He touched Byakko's shoulder, worrying about the fact that Byakko wasn't looking at him. His body was hot as Kai was about to turn to him over before Byakko curled up and screamed this horrific scream of Rei's voice and of that innocent voice.

"Don't move him!" Max said, "You might make it worst."

"We have to do something!" Kai looked at Max, not liking that reason.

Max closed his eyes and checked the temperature. It wasn't too bad for him to be a circle so he brought out Draciel and made him spin in his palm before releasing to a fall. Before Draciel hit the snow, Wyborg knocked into it, sending it flying for a bit before it landed.

Everyone looked behind them to see that they had moved closer and Ian was ready for a battle, "You launched so you get to fight next." He said with a wicked smile.

And that's where I'm leaving you for today. I wonder what will happen to Byakko and if Kai would let the others know that the new form that was just witnessed is called Tiger. I wonder if the creature would approve of such a name. I mean, it isn't really a Tiger, since it's able to get some human thought in its fighting style… Well, maybe that will be cleared up later, since all they were doing was guess, at best, right?


	26. Chap 25 Turtle Vs Snake

Hi everyone!! How are you? See, no tricks today! See! See! SEE! SEEEEEEEEEEEEE! I can be a good girl if I want.. I guess the keyword there is "if"… Did you know that in a lot of other languages the phase "I want" would be all one word? The same with "I can be". Isn't that awesome? Like, in Latin, I would say that as Possum bona puella si volo. Isn't that cool? Don't you feel smarter knowing that now? See, no tricks today! I didn't say I won't be random.

Brian whistled, "Wonder if I should be scared. Falborg!" He looked at his beast before it flew over to Byakko. Byakko launched at the bird, feeling an awkwardness in mind set. On the one hand, Byakko knew that this bird was someone that needed to be taken down for something its master had done. On the other hand, all Byakko wanted to do was eat it. Byakko was attacking this bird like it was prey, toying with something that could be easily overpowered.

Byakko also noticed different body movements as well. The paws weren't quite right where they needed to be, but it didn't affect much of Byakko's movements either. As Byakko tried to obtain the bird, Byakko noticed that there was knowledge from two other things with Byakko's consciousness. One was of another tiger with a lot of power. Byakko decided that since this bird was acting strangely that the powers from this tiger would probably work in slowing it down.

Byakko found more comfort in this, since the being was a tiger and knew how to perform its attacks in a tiger like way. Byakko didn't have to question, really, how to move the body to perform the attacks. Unfortunately, the bird was also attacking in a similar fashion, making the process of catching the bird harder. Byakko was also hearing a clashing sound below, but decided that the sound wasn't important enough to investigate at the current time. The real fun, after all, came from the reaction of the bird to the different attack patterns that this other tiger knew.

Byakko didn't like the fact that this other tiger was trying to take control over the body the more that Byakko was using its attacks. Byakko was glad that the other tiger was able to be suppressed enough so it wouldn't take control. Byakko beamed with inner delight that this other tiger was weaker. Byakko even managed to keep using the other tiger's attacks while maintaining control over the whole body. But even with being able to use the other tiger's attacks, Byakko still couldn't catch the prey.

So, Byakko decided that maybe tapping into the other consciousness would even the playing field, since the bird was obviously cheating. The other being wasn't a tiger, but a human. Byakko wondered why a human would be in a tiger's mind before knowing that the body was reacting a lot better to human movements. Byakko then realized that the body wasn't that of a tiger, but of a human. Byakko became excited with the thought that the attacks could become more awesome. The human also had knowledge of fighting in many kinds of situations. It also had specialized attacks that only the human could do. Byakko decided to stay away from those kinds of attacks, since they weren't really needed in catching prey.

Though, Byakko was amazed at how fast it was able to take down the bird once using more and more human moves. Before Byakko could pounce on the bird, the bird started to glow and went back into something on the ground. Byakko then felt a tug on the body as the other tiger was being pulled away from Byakko. Byakko was instantly separated from the other tiger, feeling the sensation of being torn apart, and flew to the nearest, strong object.

Byakko realized that there was a lot of heat nearby, since underneath the body was so soothing. Before Byakko had time to enjoy the snow, a growing pain unlike anything the human mind had processed before came forth.

"Tyson," Kai looked at him, not caring that Ian just challenged Max.

"It's okay, Kai." Max said, moving up closer to the Demolition Boys, "We probably should figure out what's wrong with them first."

"You're going to let Byakko suffer?" Kai asked, though holding back his personal feelings about it from his voice.

Max looked at him, "I much rather defeat the enemy and take my time with healing him up."

Kai nodded, still not liking the answer, but figured that Max was planning on finishing this fight as quickly as he could. Max looked forward again, bringing Draciel over to him. The temperature was beginning to drop, which means that using himself as a circle would probably only be for this fight.

Wyborg came back over to Ian, though it was spinning as well. At the same instant, they both sent their Beyblades at each other, starting their fight. Max turned on the scanning, making sure not to go over towards the others since he didn't know how much awareness Byakko had at this point. He knew it was never a good idea to corner an injured animal.

When Max looked up, he noticed that Ian was actually moving while ordering his Beyblade, just like normal. Tyson noticed as well, "Hey, Ian is moving."

"You're right." Kenny said, "But Max said that they were also possessed."

"Maybe it's that one creature." Ed said, "Wasn't he moving while in Lee?"

"But Max should've been able to spot that, I would think." Tyson said, "He was able to spot it before."

Byakko screamed louder, taking the attention of the ones closest to him away from Max. He was in more pain than before and a lot more steam was coming off of him. Kai got up and went to the other side of Byakko. Kai took the closest hand in his, but the moment he did, Byakko dug his nails into Kai's skin. Kai whined from the pain, having it hurt a lot more than the one on his arm, but still moved the upper body onto his lap. As Kai started to pet Byakko, everyone noticed that Byakko was calming down a bit.

"You okay?" Tyson asked, seeing blood dripping onto the snow.

"Yeah…" Kai was glad that this was calming him down, but he was still in a lot of pain since he didn't lessen his grip on Kai's hand.

Max was glad that Byakko sounded like he had calmed down. Well, at least glad that Byakko wouldn't distract him from the match. It was a lot tougher than he had originally thought it was going to be. "Don't tell me you thought this was going to be easy." Ian said.

Max wondered if it was pointless talking to him. The scanning didn't pick up anything weird with Bakumon inside. "We are a lot better than we were before." Max wondered if this would give him any information. He needed to know if there was any controlling going on from afar. He also found Ian's connection cord to his Beyblade.

"Oh, and what do we have here?" Ian asked, though there was nothing new added to the battlefield.

"What are you talking about?"

Ian smiled, "Wyborg!" Max noticed the flow of energy from Ian to his Beyblade, which allowed Wyborg to come forth from the Beyblade. But, Max also noticed that there was another energy that was separate from Ian that was allowing Wyborg to appear.

"Draciel!" Max called out, finding the same flow that Ian had, but not that mysterious energy. Max decided that that was the start of finding out if they were being controlled.

Tyson was glad that Max was able to keep up with Ian since he was nearly positive that Ian was the one that took Draciel away from him in the first place. "Go Max!" Tyson cheered.

Kenny noticed that Max was right now staying with what he knows in terms of Beyblading. There didn't seem to be any hint that he had learned Alchemy, since nothing was being changed at all. Kenny wondered if he was going to use Alchemy for this fight. After all, he did say that he wouldn't hesitate in using it now if it means they can have a faster win. Ian was doing better than what he did before. At least, from that one time they were able to face Ian in a match. Kenny was comparing Ian's style now to back then, seeing really no obvious change. He wondered, then, why was Max taking so much time in defeating him.

Kenny focused on the battle in the present, seeing that Ian had, indeed, improved on his style. It was a lot more focus and a lot less openings. Kenny was now glad that Krypton and Jade had taught him how to read attack patterns since it was helping him a lot right now. If a normal person, or even his past self before meeting Jade and Krypton, had looked at the two pieces of data, they would be confused as to why Max wasn't winning since Max had improved greatly compared to Ian. Kenny was then taking note that Max was even forced to use moves that Krypton had forcefully taught to them. Ian was making Max show off his moves.

As Kenny wondered why Max wasn't caring about this fact, Ian suddenly did a one eighty and was now pushing Max around. Everyone was surprised, since Ian shouldn't have been that good at all. Max quickly noticed that Ian improved so quickly was because he was using what Krypton was teaching them. Max did remember that Rei had sent training guides to the White Tigers since he thought it wouldn't be fair if only one team was better than all the rest. He wanted to have a level playing field. Krypton had caught wind of Rei's plans and told him to not send everything since he wanted the BladeBreakers to have some kind of advantage. After all, they were being trained by the best so they should be the best, was Krypton's reasoning.

Max looked at Ian, wondering if that one creature was around somewhere. Max then remembered that the creature first appeared to be like a Bakumon when within Lee. If that was the case, Tala would be the most obvious choice since he was the leader. Why waste the energy on someone like Ian? Max also knew that he had to rely this information back to the others. Well, probably more like to the one that would be fighting next. Max would also have to scan while they're battling to see if it was controlling from afar or switching.

Max decided that now was enough time to allow Ian to be controlled. He started to look beyond Ian to see if he could find that other creature. After all, it would have a signature and Max has an idea on how much of this element would be present within the creature. He did notice that there was a connection from Ian to some off distance place, and that the connection from Wyborg was heading in the same direction.

Before Max had the focus to follow it, he had to move since Wyborg was launching at him. Draciel came over soon after, defending Max from the attack. Max looked at the Beyblades, seeing that they were doing the same before. "I can't have you finding me, now can I?" Ian said, making it clear that the other creature was controlling them.

"What's your gain in all of this?" Max wanted to know, since he wanted to have Kai and was torturing Rei.

Ian smiled, "Amusement?"

"These are lives you're talking about!"

"Torment?"

"Are you working for Boris?" Max was wondering why he saying his stuff as questions. Shouldn't he know why he was doing the things he was doing?

"I only have one Master, and it isn't him."

"How are you controlling the Bit Beast?" Max knew that was odd itself, and figured that Rei had asked when he couldn't understand.

"When your friend becomes conscious again, you should ask him. And when you see the Guardians, you should tell them about it."

"Guardians?" Max wondered who those were. They haven't met anyone with that title.

"According to Lee, Rei had met one of them before this tournament started."

Kai wondered what they were talking about. Max seemed to be getting important information, because there wasn't a lot of concentration on the battle itself. He wondered if Max would use Alchemy, since he hasn't yet. "Do you think Max will use Alchemy?" Kai looked at Ed, just wanting an opinion on it.

"I'm sure he's already using it, or at least things he had gained from having studied Alchemy. I'm sure he's already scanned the area to see if he can find if they were being controlled or not."

"Too bad none of us has Rei's hearing right now," Tyson said, "because that would be useful."

Kai nodded, knowing how cat like his senses are, even without merging with Byakko. Kai looked at Byakko, now noticing that there was a pulse to his muscles. "Are muscles supposed to pulse?"

Everyone looked at Kai and Byakko, seeing that his whole body was pulsing slightly. "Is there any other change?" Kenny asked, knowing that this probably wasn't good.

"Not that I can tell." Kai noticed that his hand was feeling strangely numb. "I guess it's not a good thing that my hand feels numb.

"Can you still move it?" Ed asked.

Kai looked at his hand, seeing that he was able to move it, "Yeah, I can."

"Then you're fine. Let us know if there's anything else. We can't do much without Max looking at him first."

Kai nodded, now realizing that less steam was coming off Byakko and he seemed to be asleep.

That description didn't help Max at all in identifying who these Guardians were. The creature was probably being vague on purpose for whatever reason. He probably also didn't care that Byakko was out, though probably considering that as a victory rather than a defeat over Rei. He wondered what happened, since it would seem that this creature would know of Byakko's existence, and yet doesn't care about Byakko. Max wondered if Kai would get mad at that fact.

Max also found the creature's location. Even though he was searching in a very thin strip in the connection line with Ian so that he couldn't be detected, he was still able to positively identify the creature by the amount of this element was within him. He also figured that he should come up with a name for the element that was uniquely found in this world so he didn't have to refer to it so namelessly.

Max then had his Beyblade move quickly behind Ian while managing to keep Draciel fighting Wyborg. Max quickly clapped his hands together as his Beyblade made its way and press on his amulet of array circles to send the energy to the creature through that connection. Max noticed that there was a short period where the creature lost its connection to both Wyborg and Ian, but it wasn't long enough to do something without knowing that that was going to happen. Ian's Beyblade went after Max's, though Max also noticed that the connection was made again, but at a different location.

"You're more entertaining that I gave you credit for." Ian said, laughing as if nothing happened. "I think I need to play with you more."

Wyborg was given more power through its connection to the creature and was now starting to overpower Draciel.

"How is that possible?" Tyson asked, noticing the difference in power now. "Kenny?" He looked at him.

"The power levels of Wyborg just grew." He said in disbelief himself, "I don't know how to explain it myself."

"I don't like how Max used his newly learned skill and nothing changed." Kai said, also knowing that it probably meant that there was someone else that was controlling the Demolition Boys, but was obviously stronger than Max. And that probably left only one possibility on the identity of the being, since there was only one creature that was stronger than what they are right now. Kai really hoped that this being wasn't stronger than Max, since he was truly their hidden fighter since he knows something that no one else knows and seems to be very good at it.

"I'm sure something has changed." Ed said.

"Like what?" Kai looked at him.

"Max now knows the location of the person." He looked at Kai, "Max is a good strategist, after all. That information is very useful to him."

Kai didn't know what to say to that. Somehow, knowing that Max was able to locate the enemy wasn't all that reassuring. After all, what could he possibly do with that information if he couldn't take him out?

"Come on, Max! You can win this!" Tyson cheered, having nothing else to offer to his friend. What could he do to help his friend win this fight against a very strong opponent?

Max now wished that his jacket wasn't the only thing that was keeping the cold out from his chest. After realizing that it was the temperature that was causing his violent coughing, he wasn't able to lose it in an important match. Unfortunately, it was now the one thing that was hindering him from moving as freely as he could be with Wyborg now attacking him. Draciel was the one that was mainly fighting against Wyborg, but there were more than enough times that Max had to dodge an attack.

Max also hated the fact that Ian's connection to Wyborg was much weaker than the creature's. He knew it wouldn't do much if he attacked Ian, since that's like attacking the messenger. He quickly looked back at his friends, seeing that they were a good distance away from him. He looked at the Demolition Boys, seeing that they were just watching, as if they had a conscious to know what's going on. Were they the extra eyes that this creature needed to know everything?

"I have to admit, you almost had us fool." Max said to Ian, "We really thought we saw the last of you when we faced those other creatures."

"You should learn that I'm eternal. A failure in that session will cost you dearly."

"Why did you call Rei a tool?" Max wondered if he could cut off the connection that he was sending to Wyborg.

Ian tapped his head, "That's all they see him as. Nothing more than a tool others use for their own amusements."

"How could Rei be broken in their eyes?" Max didn't like that answer as he searched for a way of cutting that connection.

"He wasn't obedient." Max then realized that it probably wouldn't work for long, since energy can't be blocked. Though, what if Max created a wall that was strong enough to withstand the energy?

He decided that this was probably the best way of preventing this creature to reconnect to Wyborg, but Max would first have to know what the energy level was before he could come up with a way to block it. "And it should stay that way, don't you think?" He started to have Draciel move in random patterns, though it was to make sure that it was mapping out the energy lines and the amount of energy present in them. "No one should be used as a tool."

"Oh, quite the opposite, actually." The creature wasn't doing much in resisting or stopping Max from what he was doing. "I believe that people should be pawns to the master design." Though, as soon as Max had the last piece of data he needed, Wyborg went back to attacking, "And if those pawns step out of line, they should be beaten to submission."

"That includes you?" Max was wondering if Kai and Rei didn't tell them all that they should have about when they were last in Russia.

"I have never disobeyed my Master." Max was able to calculate the estimated energy value that this creature was using. It seemed there was a lot more energy being used for Wyborg than for Ian, and Ian was using much less energy for his tiny connection to Wyborg. Max figured that this creature was probably controlling both of them, rather than using Ian as a medium for control for Wyborg. He wondered why, since Ian should have enough power for control and the creature would know about that since it was within Lee. Ian was probably only being used for the actual Beyblade usage and not both Bit Beast and Beyblade usage. Max was curious about doing the same thing himself, but noticed that the temperature was getting dangerously low for him to experiment.

"I'm sure you had a different opinion than your Master. I would consider that as being disobedient."

Ian laughed, "You are correct, young one. Having a different opinion than one's master is a sign of being disobedient, especially if that opinion was spoken out of turn. But I can say with pride that even when I was growing a human heart that I never disobeyed my Master. My loyalty to her is absolute."

"But you're a creature, you can't be able to have a human heart." Max wasn't thinking of these creatures as something that could have a human consciousness. He was also not killing them on spot since Kai mentioned that Rei was opposed to it. If it wasn't for that, Max would still be killing them base on his instincts from this place.

"I dare you to say that to the tiger being over there." Max narrowed his eyes, knowing that Byakko was able to tap into Rei's mind to make it appear to be human, but was still very much a tiger. Max then got a complete percentage of material he had to use from this area. Normally when he scans, he doesn't get a percentage since it's only to find what element is where and in what kind of compound they belong to.

Since Max needed to make an effective shield when Wyborg's connection was cut, he would have to make sure he got the combinations right. "Do you consider yourself human now?" Max was going through all the different combinations within his head to come up with the best shield.

"The people that I was around the most would think so. As a matter of fact, they never really thought of me as something that wasn't human." By the tone in Ian's voice, this creature was taking pride in that.

"They have to be fools, huh?" Max then noticed an intensity in Ian's eyes. Just how much control does this creature exert on its objects? Wyborg was given more power as well as the anger increased. Max thought that this was a good way to make sure that his shield would last through the highest possible energy level, though realizing that this wouldn't be a good way of knowing what that level was.

"I wonder what Max was saying." Kenny said as the energy increased again. Though, by the way that it was rising and the look on Ian's eyes was all clear signs that this increase was due to anger. "Max just made the creature mad."

"I wouldn't think that that's a good strategy." Tyson commented, since you send more energy to your Beyblade, "Though, I guess if Max was planning on lowering its energy so it would be weaker than himself, that's a different thing."

"That won't be a good idea, since the creature is able to reach the levels of Krypton and Jade before you guys. If Max isn't able to defend against that, then this isn't the best solution."

"Max has a plan." Ed said, having them turn to him. "He doesn't look worry at all and I can tell that he's still calculating something in his head. This is more data collecting to him, it seems."

Tyson and Kenny did notice that Max didn't look all that worry as Draciel was fighting against Wyborg. He looked rather calm, though he didn't look like he was calculating anything. "How can you tell that he's calculating?"

"Because he's not showing much expression. He only does that when he's calculating on the spot. He can see the equations in his head a lot better than I can, so he knows how much of what element to use to get his results."

"Go Draciel!" Max called, getting the correct shield to use against this creature. Draciel distracted Wyborg and the Beyblade went quickly to the energy line for only Wyborg as Max clapped his hands together. The connection was quickly dropped midway and Max sent the energy for the Alchemy through his legs, forcing the elements he needed out and form a shield over the Beyblade as Draciel did quick work on Wyborg, trapping Wyborg back into the Beyblade. Max was glad that it worked, since the light was still present, but he wasn't coming out.

"Wow…" It was all that Tyson could say to this. That seemed like it took less than a second to perform, and Max already gained a greater victory than Byakko. "That's amazing."

"The power of Alchemy and Max's genius." Ed said with beaming pride.

Kai wondered if Max was always a good strategist. He figured that they only really started to notice it after he had learned Alchemy, since Alchemy was his method of strengthening his reason to become a strategist. He admitted that he probably was since Max was able to beat him without the aid of a Bit Beast before and that battle plan came up again since Max had advised him to use it when they first came upon the abbey.

Kai started to notice a growing pain in his hand, looking to see that Byakko's hands were getting swollen. He looked at the rest of the body not really finding a change in that. He gently removed the dug nails from his skin and landed the hand on the ground. That's when he also noticed that his fingers were a lot shorter, even though they were swelling a bit.

He looked at his own hand, seeing that puncture wounds were a lot wider than they normally were. Kai wondered if this was supposed to mean that Byakko's body was transforming into something. If that was the reason for the pain that Byakko was in, Kai wondered why it was happening at all. He looked back at Max, wondering if he could find that out for them.

"You're good, I have to admit. I don't think I've ever faced someone like you before." The creature said, having Ian's Beyblade close to Ian now.

"Good." Max could tell from the energy flow that he was now unable to get to Wyborg, but Ian's connection to his Beyblade was still weak. "So let's end this!" Draciel rushed over to Wyborg, though Draciel himself was staying still.

"Let's." The creature said before something had entered Max through that connection.

"Max!" Ed called, seeing that something was wrong.

"You can't do anything!" Tyson said before Ed was too far, "We still have to treat this as a match."

Ed stopped, probably realizing that this was true. They only could watch Max as he faced something new and something that was unseen. It looked like he was hit with something, but nothing was thrown to him and Draciel had even stopped.

Max noticed that something was off. He was surrounded by darkness and he knew that this wasn't the natural world since he felt like he was floating. What had the creature done to him? He wondered if it learned to use the energy flow to mess with the match. Though, this could also be how he controls people.

"You do have a strong mind." Max looked all over, not finding the source even though it was crystal clear. "I can't enter farther than this."

Max realized that he was trying to take him over. He was now glad that Rei had taught him about mental blockage. He figured that that's what was helping him right now. He turned around, feeling something from there to see a boy with no race to him, really, standing there. He smiled evilly enough to be the creature. "Trying to still be human?"

"Let's see how well you far in here." He launched but suddenly Draciel appeared, blocking the creature.

"What happened?" Tyson asked, seeing that Draciel had suddenly vanished, though nothing new was happening to either Max or Ian.

"I don't know…" Kenny said, wondering the same thing himself. He hoped that Max was doing alright.

Suddenly, Max's head was flung back and he took a few steps back before getting his balance again. He held his head, confused at to what he just saw. Draciel had come into his mind, now realizing where he was, and had actually fought the creature out of his mind. He looked onto the battlefield, seeing that his line wasn't completely free from the creature, meaning that Draciel was still fighting him off. "Draciel, back in the Beyblade." Max ordered, seeing that Draciel did so and so that connection was cut off.

Max then touched his amulet, using that path as his energy line to his Beyblade. He knew that it wasn't the same as the one he normally uses and now he would have to rely solely on Alchemy to fight back. Max looked at Ian, seeing that he hadn't changed before he started to laugh.

"I guess even I should study upon those creatures." The creature said. Ian looked confused for a moment, "My understanding was that you have to send energy to keep your top spinning."

Max then knew that this creature was able to read the minds of those he takes over and probably could see the energy flows as well. "I am." Max wouldn't be giving away this secret.

He smiled, "I wonder if the last two are just as interesting as well. Your whole team is just full of surprises. This one fight has last too long, don't you think? We might as well end this now with the next launch, what do you say?"

Max clapped his hands together fast, though keeping the energy within him, concentrated near the amulet since he still intended to use that as his energy route, "Sure, since I have someone to attend to." Max couldn't tell if he was in the danger zone since the energy within was creating heat so he couldn't measure the temperature around him very well.

"Wyborg!" The creature called, sending Wyborg straight at Max with a high speed.

"Draciel!" Max called, sending Draciel straight at Ian with a lot more mass to him and a greater speed.

Do you want to know what happens next? I bet you do, since this doesn't tell you who wins. It might, if you do the math, but you didn't come here to do math, right? You came here to read and be entertained, right? Though, should you really be entertained by their lives? I bet they wouldn't appreciate the fact that their lives are all just words on paper for you. I'm sure they think their lives have more meaning than that. Oh well, I guess they would just have to deal with it for now.


	27. Chap 26 Phoenix Vs Wolf

Yoh! How is the day today for you? Is it good? Is it bad? How are you feeling today? Are you in a good mood? I bet most people don't read these, right? You just go straight to the storyline, not caring that I put a lot of effort into these sections since these are the only times that I get to talk. I'm a spirit!! I don't have a lot of chances to talk to you all. Doesn't that make you sad? Shouldn't you have a bit of sympathy for me? Are you going to read these now? Make my day, please? Would you make my day and read these? I promise, they're funny for a good portion. That, or really annoying since I don't let you get to the story faster… Huh…

The creature smiled, "I wonder if the last two are just as interesting as well. Your whole team is just full of surprises. This one fight has last too long, don't you think? We might as well end this now with the next launch, what do you say?"

Max clapped his hands together fast, "Sure, since I have someone to attend to."

"Wyborg!" The creature called, sending Wyborg straight at Max.

"Draciel!" Max called, sending Draciel straight at Ian.

Before Draciel and Wyborg collided, Draciel made a sudden stop in its path and Wyborg collided with it. Unfortunate for Wyborg, Max had changed the metal to a denser material, which made Draciel that much more stable and unmovable. The creature didn't seem all that worried that it had lost two of its three matches to win, but winning was probably not its goal in the first place. He caught Draciel and turned around to go back to the others to take care of Byakko, but suddenly collapsed into another coughing fit.

"Max!" Ed called as he ran over to Max, who was suddenly on the ground and coughing. Kai really wished that they could set up something for him, but for now, a body had to do.

"Bring him over here." Kai said, getting an idea.

Ed picked up Max, who curled in his arms, and brought him over to Kai, "Place him on Byakko?"

Kai nodded, "He's still warm, so having them near each other is probably the best solution right now."

"Then while he is free," Tala interrupted, "come face me, Kai."

"Why not face me instead?" Tyson offered, knowing that Kai probably should keep an eye on the others anyway.

"I'm sure you know who I am by now." Tala said in a layback manner, smirking with great delight, "Doesn't the baby want to know who I am?"

Kai looked at Tala, wondering what all these references were to being little was all about. He looked at Ed, "How should we go about setting them next to each other?"

"Max's chest needs to be covered." Ed said. Tyson was impressed, since Kai was obviously going to fight since he did want answers, but cared more about Max's condition than the fight itself. Tyson wondered if it was because Kai had pride in the fact that his team was still intact and wanted to make sure that they all got out of here okay.

Kai wanted to ask how Max wanted to be situated, but he was coughing too much to answer or probably hear. Kai looked at Byakko, feeling that he probably wanted to stay close to the snow. "Okay, sit where I am and lay Max on Byakko." Kai got up while holding up Byakko's body so that Ed could place his legs underneath. Max was then placed on top of Byakko's body, with him coughing beside the body. Kai took off his jacket and placed it over Max and Byakko.

"Shouldn't you keep that?" Ed asked.

"I'll be fine for a while." Kai turned around and Tyson's hand immediately was placed on his shoulder. Kai looked at him, wondering what he wanted.

"Good luck and remember, I'm always right here to back you up." Tyson said with a smile.

Kai wondered what the right response is for this situation. He settled for a nod, "Keep an eye on them for me."

"Will do, partner." He removed his hand and Kai went to face the creature.

He didn't like the fact that this creature was still smiling. What did this creature knew about his past, Kai wondered. "Touching." Tala said, getting ready for the match.

Kai pulled out his too, deciding not to let the fear that Max had commented to him get to him. Besides, this creature forced Byakko to fight. There was nothing that Kai couldn't get angry about to make him forget that fact for a bit. "Three!" He started to count down, "Two, One! Let it Rip!" They pulled the rip cord and the battle was on.

"I guess we're not going to hear this one either." Tyson commented before looking at Ed, "Do you know why Max is coughing so much?"

"He thought up something." Ed said, meaning that Max didn't want it to be known, for whatever reason.

Tyson decided not to press the issue, since getting him better was more important than finding out why it was occurring. Tyson didn't want Max to feel like he had to tell them anything, since Rei was obviously keeping things from them, and Kai didn't pressure him to tell them anything. Tyson was wondering if this creature had picked Max out of randomness more than strategic reasons. He also thought that it was funny that this would be the only match that he wouldn't have to fight against an opponent. The time with the controlled White Tigers didn't really count since he wasn't showing himself to them.

Kai didn't like that this guy was good at picking up things. Obviously, he was using what Krypton had taught Rei and Max, since he knows Krypton's style. There was also a lot of actual fighting that Tala wouldn't do. He noticed that it was more like Lee's style, or something that Rei had lightly used once. "Where's Mariah?"

"With the others, of course." He said that in a way that it should be obvious. "Where else would I put her? I had no need for her."

"Are they at the center?"

"Do you know who I am, little Kai?"

"Other than some annoying creature that seems to take some twisted joy is messing with us."

"I don't take twisted joy in things like your uncle. Didn't they warn you about me?"

Kai stared at him. How much did this creature knew of his history, Kai wondered as the sound of clashing metal was ringing in their ears. Kai noticed vaguely that this creature wasn't going to focus on the match itself. Kai also didn't want this creature to know that he has no clue to his past or did he want to hear about his past from someone that was out to capture them.

Tala started look sad for some reason the more time lapsed. "I see… I didn't think he lost you too…"

That struck a cord with Kai. He could feel his heart wanting to do something. He didn't know whether it wanted to cry or yell at this creature. "Something's up with Kai." Tyson said, seeing a change in his body. Tyson knew that Kai wouldn't show it all that much, but something had made him sad.

"Like what?" Kenny asked, knowing that this was the new bond that the team had. Tyson could read Kai better and Max and Rei could nearly read each other.

"I can't say for sure, but I think something this creature said has made him sad. I just don't know how sad, really."

Kenny nodded, wondering what was going on over there. He looked at Max, who was laying on top of Byakko and wasn't looking all the good. He wondered if the reason they couldn't read each other was because they were keeping secrets from each other. Tyson and Kai didn't have much to hide, probably because Jade wouldn't allow them. If Krypton wanted Rei to keep his training a secret, then he probably allowed the secrets to stay. Kenny never had the answer of which group was better, and now that's making that decision harder because of the style of their coach.

"Do you not care about him anymore?" Tala asked angrily. Kai was kinda surprised. Why does this creature care so much? "What made you forget about him?"

Wolborg was attacking with such viciousness that Kai was just left to stare at it. Dranzer seemed to be doing fine, but Kai didn't understand the anger this creature was displaying. "Tell me, Kai. What made you forget?"

"Why do you even care?" Kai finally answered back, not about to lose this fight, "This is the first time we've met and you expect me to tell you anything?"

Wolborg wasn't lightening up, but the creature was just staring at Kai. What the hell was he thinking, Kai wondered as he decided to focus on the battle. After all, Jade was still out there somewhere and he needed to get to her as well as heal up his group. Why was this creature distracting him so much?

Kai then remembered something that was said to him. He was told that during a grand fight that answers will come to him. He wondered if the fortune-teller was talking about this tournament. After all, he was getting the hint that there were so many un-answered questions forming from this tournament not only about himself, but about everyone on his team. Their friends have become their foes, but he wasn't sure about the old wounds resurfacing. He didn't know what those would be, but they were going to get help from someone. They were going to have trials of loyalty and friendship as well as heartache.

Kai looked behind him, looking at Byakko. Was he going to lose him? Was that the heartache that he would feel? Kai returned to the battle, "Damn fortune-teller." He didn't know what she was hinting at, and didn't like it at all.

"Fortune-teller?" Tala asked, looked at him, "What fortune-teller?"

"Where's Jade and Krypton?" Kai demanded, deciding that ending this tournament as quickly as possible was the only solution to preventing all of that from happening. Surely such tragedies wouldn't occur if they didn't have enough time to happen.

"Oh, so you know of them, but you can't even remember your family? What have you become, Kai?"

Why were these words affecting him so much? Kai knew that he shouldn't care what this creature was saying to him, but he seems to understand so much. "I only have a Grandfather." Kai kept it out of his voice the truth.

"Wow, I don't think I've ever seen that." Tyson commented, noticing that Kai didn't want to say the lie he did just now.

"What happened?" Ed asked.

"Kai just told a lie to this creature and he looks like he didn't want to say those words. I don't think he cares that he just lied, but that he had to say something he never wanted to say to make it seem like it was true."

"I didn't think Kai would talk this much during a match." Ed commented, probably from whatever Max had told him about them.

"He doesn't, but I could tell that Kai knows that this creature holds some answers. At the very least, Kai knows that the answers that this creature can provide are valuable." Tyson wondered what those answers were, though, and if Kai would be willing to tell them anything they were talking about.

The look the creature was giving to him was interesting. Kai could tell that the creature was confused. He even was in a pose that said that he was so confused that he had to think it over, but Wolborg was still moving. Kai wondered if that's the level that Krypton and Jade wanted them to be at. To be able to be totally in control of a match that you could have time to think over other things that aren't important.

Kai also hated the fact that it seemed like the creature was now mocking his skill. After all, why would he leave himself so defenseless when the enemy is right in front of you? It was like Kai was worth nothing in his eyes. "Who's your Grandfather?" He finally spoke.

"Why are you so interest? What's it got to do with you?"

"Because I was never told that you had a Grandfather, and I can't think of anyone that you would call that."

Kai wondered why he was so interested. This also gave him the hint that this creature had never met him before, but heard about him from someone else. It was giving Kai more curiosity about finding who his family was, now. They knew someone that was willing to hurt Kai without much hesitation, and yet, they were comfortable enough around this person to tell him things. "You should know who my Grandfather is, if you can read minds." Kai wondered what he thought of his Grandfather. Kai knew that his Grandfather was someone that he couldn't return to, since he wanted to find the family that had actually loved him. He wondered what this creature would reveal to him about that family.

"You're saying that these kids know about your Grandfather?" He seemed confused. "I just looked and they don't have anything about that… Though, this one here," he made Tala's hand pat Tala's chest, "did hear you refer to a Grandfather, but didn't really know whom you were talking about." He looked beyond Kai for some reason, "Though, that boy probably has the answers that I'm looking for."

"Dranzer!" Kai called, knowing that he might go get either Max or Rei. He didn't know why, but for some reason he thought that he would be going after Rei if he went after anyone. Dranzer appeared and was standing guard above Kai, "I won't let you through."

He smiled, "Shine too much and you'll have trouble leaving this place in one piece." He then sighed disappointingly, "It's a good thing that they're here as well, otherwise I would call your guardian here a poor protector."

Kai got ticked, "Dranzer!" Kai looked at him, sending him over to Tala. He would never allow anyone to call Dranzer a sorrowful Bit Beast.

Tala moved back, "Wolborg!" He said and he suddenly came from the Beyblade, "Let's see how tough he really is."

"Why does it seem like Kai is allowing this guy to affect him?" Ed asked.

"I'm not really sure myself." Tyson said, watching Dranzer and Wolborg fight each other. He wondered if somehow this guy was affecting Kai in a weird way. Even around Jade, Kai doesn't normally get out of character. He wondered what was with this guy that could affect him so much. It might be that Kai was trying to get the answers to his questions without him knowing. Though, he probably wasn't all that good at it. It did seem like this guy didn't care about the match, really. "It might be the answers that are there. I'm sure Kai is trying to get them without the guy knowing. I just wish I knew what Kai was after."

"And here I thought Kai actually cared about his team."

Tyson and Kenny looked at Ed, who was tucking Max as he was coughing still. Tyson narrowed his eyes at Ed, "Kai doesn't abandon his team."

"He shouldn't worry about the answers right now. The most important thing is to get out of here so we can heal those that were injured. Taking his sweet time chatting isn't exactly helping."

"None of us really know Kai well enough to be able to direct him the right way right now." Ed looked at Tyson, "And that's because we don't normally see him not his normal self. He's a lot more rational when he's normal. Think of this Kai as the Kai that was with Byakko, though not really that friendly. That Kai doesn't come out around us so we don't know how to react to it."

"His personality traits don't consider me." Ed narrowed his eyes at Tyson, "He's not doing his part in ending this quickly."

"Kai didn't just become some stupid, emotional guy because of this change. Kai is one of the best players in this game and he's a great leader."

Ed looked back at Max, not caring what Tyson just said. Tyson looked back at his partner, knowing with all his heart that Kai wasn't wasting his time. Kai was actually fighting to get them going, or at least protecting them. Tyson did notice that a bit in their battle. He only noticed it because Kai normally watches Tyson's back whenever facing Rei. Kai wasn't able to face Rei in those fights, but he could always see enough of Rei's movements to be of help. Kai was protecting them, for some reason, which is why Dranzer is out. Tyson wondered what kind of picture Max had given Ed about Kai. Kai is slowly changing into a person that can show more and more of his kind self. Shouldn't Max see that as well?

Kenny wondered why Ed was thinking that Kai was taking his time with this match. After all, it wasn't only Max that was hurting. Byakko hadn't recovered either, and neither one looked good. Even if Kai truly didn't care about Max's condition, he would care of Byakko's. That part was a given, so why would Kai take his time with a match when Byakko was hurting? He also wondered what kind of bond Ed and Max had, since it seemed like Ed only cared about Max's wellbeing, and not Byakko's. Of course, that should never get back to Kai, since it would do no good if Kai got mad enough to fight Ed. From what he saw of their fight before, Ed would probably win.

Kenny also knew that Kai was taking this fight seriously. When the creature was thinking about something deeply, Kai didn't attack. That was the right move, since the creature wasn't defenseless and was still on guard. Kai is probably just looking for a good way to defeating him. After all, his real attention isn't the match itself. He seemed to want something, and Kai seemed to be the one with the answers. Though, it is funny how Kai considers this guy to have most of the answers. Maybe that's why it was looking like they were taking their time? Because they both think that the answers lie in the other and are both trying to obtain those answers without revealing certain information.

"Tyson," Kenny looked at him, "Tell Kai that this guy is probably like himself."

"Huh?" Tyson looked confused, "How are they like?"

"They both want answers without revealing information about themselves."

"But this guy knows Kai." Ed pointed out.

"Kai is trying to play dumb, right?" Kenny looked at Tyson, "Because Kai didn't want to say a lie and he's not talking a whole lot. That means that Kai is trying to find a way of gathering information to his questions so he can come up with his own answers."

"That seems right." Tyson said, thinking about it some more. He knew that Kai probably doesn't want them to also know what questions he wants to answer, and so doesn't want to ask them directly, thinking that that would give this creature an advantage over himself. "I hope Rei wakes up soon." Tyson said, before looking over to Kai, "Hey, Kai!" Kai looked back at his partner, wondering what he wanted. Tyson smiled to him, "He's just like you, but not by skill."

What the hell was that supposed to mean, Kai wondered as he returned to the battlefield. "Is that how they cheer you on?" The creature asked.

Kai knew that they would be thinking about this match, so it was related to the current situation at the very least. So this guy was like him, but Tyson wasn't talking about their skill levels. So, that had to mean that this guy was like him in trying to gather information the same way that Kai was. Kai thought that was annoying, now seeing the pattern. He looked back at them, seeing that Max and Byakko still weren't doing very well. That means that someone over there is worried about this fight taking forever. By the look in Ed's eyes, it was probably him. Was Max not being stable enough?

Kai returned to the battle at hand, now knowing that he can't take his time getting answers from this guy, even though that's what he wanted to do. If they're not stabilizing, then they have to get out of here so they can make sure that they do. Kai sent more energy to Dranzer, "Where are Jade and Krypton?"

"The place they're at isn't a place you should willingly walk into." The creature seemed to be letting Kai knock around Wolborg, proving even more that this fight was worthless. "If you walk in there right now, you'll be hunted down for the rest of your life. Those guys already have Jade and Krypton. If they gain you too, this whole world would be over and he would forever be sad."

Kai noticed that then he was getting more serious, probably to make sure that Kai was defeated before heading over to the place where they were at. "You're working for them, right? So why warn me? You even tried to kill me before."

"Those moments were merely for fun. If I didn't at least try a few times, I would be a failure of a henchman." Kai hated how he brushed that off as nothing.

"You hurt Byakko." Kai was sending more power since he's level of anger was increasing.

"Byakko?" He seemed confused, as if something wasn't right about that. "Isn't Byakko a tiger?" Kai was shocked. Didn't he hear them mentioning that name before? Kai almost wanted to point at him so he would acknowledge him. "Oh, you mean that boy has a tiger spirit within him… Interesting, interesting… He's more connected to you than I thought. If I had met this Byakko before, I would probably know more." He nodded to himself.

"That was creepy for Tala." Tyson said, seeing how Tala's head was nodding to himself pleasingly, as if finding himself the smartest person on the planet. It just something that Tala wouldn't do. Though, if Kai could see the difference in Rei and Byakko, Tyson was sure that Kai wouldn't find that creepy in the least. Weird, maybe, but not creepy.

"Who's waiting for me at the center?" Kai was actually curious, though hoping that this was enough to not let him know that he was still searching, he was sending more energy, which the creature responded in a similar manner.

"A person you should never meet, your tormentor and some guy name Voltaire." He didn't seem to care about revealing it, though Kai was hiding his panic state. "Though, you're not getting there."

"You think you're going to stop me?" Kai was now attacking more precisely, "My Grandfather has my girlfriend." He didn't care at this point that he was giving out information. "I'm not about to let him have his way with her."

"If you go there, you will become a target. No one knows the secret you hold, but once they do, he won't ever let you go. He will hunt you down and he'll be a lot more aggressive than I care to be. I only attempted for a few moments, but he will send others to your world to kill you and obtain the power you hold."

Wolborg was then defeated, having the Bit Beast go back into the Beyblades, "I will save her."

Max started to notice something. He knew what it was and knew that he had to warn everyone. "Don't move." Ed said to him.

Max grabbed hold of his sleeves, gripping it a bit as he coughed for a moment, "…."

"What?" Tyson looked over at Ed, hearing something coming from Max.

"I have more than one way of stopping you." The creature said with a smile.

".. Run …" Max managed to say. Ed immediately placed Max on his shoulders, "Kai, we have to go." Ed called out to him.

Dranzer came back to Kai, "We'll see how well you can." Kai ran back to his team as they took off. Byakko was with Tyson and Max was with Ed. Kai took Byakko before the elephants from before started to chase them again.

"Tyson," Kai looked at him, "Do you think you're able to slow them down?" Byakko was now digging his claws into Kai's body. Kai was sure he couldn't handle this for a long run.

"I can handle it." Tyson's smile looked determine enough. Tyson pulled out his launcher as he stopped to face the herd. "Dragoon!" He launched his Beyblade straight at them, "Phantom Hurricane!!" Dragoon immediately appeared and went into a spin. He managed to go right through the whole herd, knocking them all down. Once done, Dragoon returned to his carrier and Tyson turned back to run after his team, glad that none of them were killed.

AWESOME!! That must've been amazing to see, no? I could just imagine the whole movement. I didn't think that Tyson could be so graceful. I thought that only Rei would be like that. Though, I guess we should probably wonder what's going to happen to everyone else. Kai had gathered enough information to start forming his past, though he probably needs Rei's words of editing to make sure that it's right. Will he be coming back or will Byakko forever be awake? I wonder which one would Kai choose.


	28. Chap 27 Inner Tiger is the Light

Hi!!!! It is I! The spirit of the… of the… of the kitchen sink!! WMHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! I have come to give you some important news. I have discovered that… There is disgusting food located at the bottom of the pipes!! You need to clean them out as fast as you can. Though, I'm also going to guess that you know that this isn't real and that I'm just messing with you, right? I mean, I'm here all the time, at the beginning and end of every chapter, so you know that this is just how I get my kicks. A ghost has to do something, after all. I can't just report to you what they're doing. I have to have my fair share of words. So, yeah, things are getting interesting with them. Something is happening with Byakko, the evil creature had just revealed that he's twisted beyond compare and that Tyson can actually be graceful. How awesome is that? Anyway, onward to their chase…

"We should be okay." Tyson said after they had run for a while to make sure. "Let's get a fire started for…" Kai fell to his knees and looked to be fighting off some pain. Tyson took a closer look, seeing that his shoulders were bleeding from where Byakko's claws were. "Are you okay?" He wasn't sure if getting Byakko off was the action that Kai wanted to take.

"Not really." Kai slowly took one paw off then the other, placing Byakko on the ground.

"We do have a first aid kit, right?" Kenny asked, wondering if they thought about that.

"Can you move your other hand?" Ed asked, with Max coughing in the background.

Kai looked at the hand that was puncture before, able to move the fingers, "It's still numb, though."

Max then hit Ed's chest lightly, as if to get his attention. Ed leaned in closer, sighing after a moment, "Max said that he was scanning Byakko when you were fighting. He doesn't know exactly what's going on, but he thinks he knows of a way to let him be in less pain."

"What does he need?" Kai asked before they heard a sound from above. Kai managed to pull Byakko out of the way of another bug in the form of a bee. He noticed that everyone was on the same side, so he picked up Byakko again, "Let's go!" And they took off again.

The bee had called upon more as they were running away. The pain in Kai's shoulders was increasing the more movement he had to do. He started to wonder if that creature was doing this, since he would be trying to make sure that they didn't get to the center. Max then appeared over Ed's head, landing beside him and started to run. Kai wondered what they were doing, but figured that Max had a plan.

Max started to get warm again. He was glad that his idea was working. As long as he was able to keep his body warm, he would be able to use Alchemy. Once he was coughing only slightly, he pulled out Draciel and had him spinning beside him. He did a quick scan, finding that they were off course, but only slightly. He pushed Ed to go in the right direction, since he was the one in the lead. He also noticed that the creature wasn't in his field of view and that Kai was leaking out a lot of this world's element. He realized that these creatures were probably attracted to Kai because of this.

Once they were back on course, Max started to think of something that would get them to go away. He was about to transform Ed's arm when it had appeared before Kai had ordered them to run. He looked back at the team, seeing that Kai was bleeding a lot more. He also realized that he didn't have a jacket on him. Max sent his energy to Draciel, having him use the water array to move the snow around them. The bugs were covered in an instant and they made a faster retreat.

Everyone collapsed the moment they were giving themselves a break. Kai removed the claws from his skin, but otherwise allowed Byakko to stay on him. He was too exhausted to move much more. "Can you move?" Kai asked, hoping that Max could answer.

"How is he?" Max asked, not liking that he was starting to cool off. "I have to do this quickly."

"Are ya… sure it's… safe?" Tyson asked in between taking a breath.

Max got himself up, walking over to Kai and Byakko. "I'll be fine for the moment." He had Draciel draw the two circles, but he couldn't have Kai in it this time. He picked up Byakko, who was already knocked out from the pain. "I'll take care of you next."

"Worry more about Byakko than me." Kai said, looking like he wanted to move to be near Byakko.

Max laid Byakko on the ground of the circle. He placed his hand on the other circle, not wanting to use himself since he needed to take care of Kai as well. He took another look at what was going on with Byakko. Max had noticed that the body was morphing, but he didn't know into what. There was heavy resistance to this morphing as well, though he wasn't sure as to why. Max didn't like the idea all that much, but he had to allow the morphing to take place. It was half way there already, and fighting to continue. He figured that allowing it to occur would create the lease amount of pain for the body. He just hoped that there would be a way to reverse it once completed.

Max released his energy into the circle, affecting the body as it started to go back to transforming. Max didn't like that he had to use a lot more of his energy than he wanted to just to keep the body from resisting.

Tyson was in awe at the sight. Rei's body was slowly changing into something that was more animal like. He looked at Kai, seeing that he was only able to watch. He didn't look like he had an opinion on the matter, probably figuring that as long as Byakko wasn't in pain anymore, everything would be alright. He got himself up, since they would need a fire for Max. His legs were very weak, probably because he wasn't used to all this running through snow. They also hadn't had lunch yet and it was already getting close to night. He hoped that they wouldn't need to move for a while, since they needed to settle in for the night.

"Are you okay?" Kenny asked, noticing that there was something off with how Tyson was walking.

"I was planning on getting wood for a fire, but my legs are very weak." Tyson said with a small laugh. "How are you holding up?"

"I don't think I can move." Kenny and Tyson looked at Ed, who was getting up slowly.

"Find the first aid kit. We might as well get Kai healed before Max gets to him. I'll help with collecting wood."

Tyson walked with Ed, getting wood from around the area. "What's Max doing?" Tyson asked.

"I'm not sure myself. He didn't tell me what he had seen. I can only imagine that it would help ease the pain."

"How are your shoulders?" Kenny asked Kai as he went through Rei's bag, figuring that he would have the first aid kit.

"It hurts to move them." Kai was watching Byakko and Max, wondering what was going on. It looked like Max was changing him to be more like a tiger. He also hoped that Max was going to be okay afterwards, since it seemed like it was a lot more work that Max had hoped for. Kai also found himself wanting to go to sleep, but knew that this action wouldn't be the smartest move. "Rei probably only has a basic amount of things that would heal up wounds that only he would understand. Jade was the one that was carrying the first aid kit."

Kenny placed it down, wondering where the bottom of this thing was. "Did you get your answers?"

"Not really." Kai didn't get anything solid. He wondered if he would ever know what his past contained. It was certainly not a normal one, since he knows Chinese; has someone that's willing to kill him, but knows his family; and knows how to cook on a fire. "I really hope we're not off track."

"I think we're on the right track." Ed said as they got back with wood in their arms. "Max had pushed me into this direction."

"Don't start the fire yet." Max said, though not looking at them, "I know it's for me, but if I don't heal up Kai, we'll probably be attacked again during the night and it would a waste of energy."

"Place them in here for now." Kenny moved Rei's bag over to them, having them doing so.

"What's going on with Byakko?" Kai asked, figuring that if he could talk then, he could explain what's going on as he's doing it.

"I'm not sure as to why, but the body is changing. The reason it was causing him so much pain was because there was a lot of resistance to the change. I'm right now allowing the change to occur. It's a lot harder than I thought it would be, since I can't focus my attention on everything, and everything wants to change at the same time."

"What if he can't change back?" Tyson asked.

"I'll look into that once I'm not coughing tomorrow. I don't know all that much about bodies, but I'm sure that Ed and I can come up with something together."

"And why am I attracting the creatures to us?" Kai asked, since that was what Max was saying. It was also right in line with what the creature had said to him about shining too much.

"Even though this world is mixed inside you, you're leaking it out right now. I'm not sure if it's because of your wounds or just something that is happening naturally, but when that creature increases his element, we get a lot more creatures after us. Obviously, they can sense it and are trying to obtain it."

"So you're going to see if you can block it?" Tyson asked.

"Yeah… I'm not sure how well I'll be able to, but I should be able to do something about it. You should probably get a jacket on you, so you don't freeze." Max didn't like the fact that no one was paying attention to that. It just reminded him how Kai said he was the only one that could notice when something was wrong with Rei. It wasn't like Max had just noticed, but he also didn't want to be the one that pointed it out.

Kai got himself off the ground, though having his shoulders telling him that it wasn't going to be a pleasant experience. Tyson handed him the jacket that he gave to Max and Byakko before his match, which he put on in his normal fashion. Tyson didn't know if he was cold and just acting like he wasn't. "Are we in the right direction, Max?" Tyson looked at his best friend.

"Yeah, we are. We're about a quarter of the way to the next point. I hadn't looked beyond it, though it does seem like the creature wasn't around when those bees were after us."

"How much long until you're done?" Ed asked.

"I don't really know… I can't really do this entirely fast, which is what the transformation wants to do. Also, Tyson needs to be on guard. I can't really scan to see if we're about to be attacked."

Tyson got Dragoon out, "Gotcha."

Kai was leaning on a tree, watching Max do his work on Byakko. He was hoping that this process was reversible since he knew that Rei was still in that body as well. He was glad that his bleeding had stopped. They weren't that deep or that big, but they were at points that were really hurting his muscles.

"Kai," he looked at Kenny, "Is that creature going to come after you again?"

"I don't know… I know that he's going to try to stop me from getting to the center… Apparently, there's someone there that I should never met. Jade and Krypton are there as well, and Mariah is with the others, but I don't think they're at the center."

"Have we met anyone that is called the Guardian?" Max asked. "The creature was saying that Rei knew one of them before the tournament."

"We don't know anyone of that title." Kai said, though wondering if it had something to do with the people that the creature had mentioned to him. After all, he did say that there were other people here that were watching them. "Maybe TK has the answers that we're looking for."

"I was thinking the same thing." Max said, "He is connected to this world a lot more than we are. Should we try to track him down?"

"We'll worry about getting to the center first. Apparently, my Grandfather is here as well… And Krypton has Dark Dranzer…"

"What?" Tyson and Kenny said. Max was shocked too, but was keeping his mind focus on his work. "Since when?" Tyson asked.

"Since we got back from the world tournament… I still had him, and he knew that I did, so he took him from me and has kept him. I know that he hasn't used him for anything, but I also don't know if he brought him along or not. I just don't want Boris to have that chance."

"Why don't you two reveal what you've learned from him?" Kenny offered, "You don't have to reveal all you learn, though." He looked at Kai.

"He knows the basics of things about our sport." Max said, "He knew of the connection that I had just found, and he is able to do enter that as well. He entered my mind, so I got a look at him. He also revealed how he is able to control the Bit Beast to Rei when he was Lee. I noticed that he is able to control both blader and Bit Beast from afar, but probably doesn't know that he could use the blader to control the Bit Beast. I think he can probably sense the connection too, since he was able to tell when I was controlling Draciel with my Alchemy abilities.

"He also isn't working solely for Boris. He has a master that he's very loyal to. He also has claimed that there was a period in his life that he had grown a human heart, and that there were people around him that never saw him as a creature. That's all I got out of him."

"How did you fight against him in your mind?" Tyson asked.

"Draciel came in and fought against him. It was pretty cool to see, but I'm also not really sure how to explain it. I think that's how he's able to control other beings, though."

"Anything interesting on your end?" Kenny looked at Kai, though knowing that only a few things would get revealed.

"He can read the minds of people he controls…" Kai said, now understanding why Rei was probably worried and ready to fight against this creature. After all, he wanted to keep his mother a secret and some stranger is able to find that with ease probably didn't make him all that happy. "When I mentioned my Grandfather, he looked into Tala's mind to see who I was talking about. I also realized that Boris probably kept my Grandfather in the loop, but never allowed the kids in the abbey to know about him, since Tala never knew whom I was talking about when I mentioned my Grandfather to him when we were brought to Russia… Boris is also at the center, since he mentioned that my tormentor was there… Though, he never realized that there was another spirit within Rei's body."

"Did it sound like he should've been able to see that?" Tyson asked.

"It did… It sounded like he should've known my past, as well… I'm not sure as to why, though, but that's what it sounded like."

"If he knew your past, shouldn't he know about your Grandfather?" Max asked.

"That's why I said should've known. He doesn't know everything about my past." Tyson could tell that Kai was holding something back. It's probably why he didn't want to say the lie he did.

"Is that all you were able to figure out?" Tyson figured that the more personal things would only be revealed to Rei.

"Yeah… I'm not as good as Rei at getting information indirectly. He probably got more from me than I got from him." Kai only decided to say that because of Ed. He could tell that Tyson and Kenny were pretty much going to let him off the hook about telling them the rest, but Ed looked like he was going to press the issue. He just didn't want his silence to give anything away, since he doesn't know how well Ed was at figuring things out like Rei. "How done is Byakko?"

"It's getting there." Max said, "I'm nearly done."

They heard a noise and Tyson went to face it, with his launcher in his hands. Kai got out Dranzer, ready to do the same thing. Max was now trying to get the process done faster, since he was trying to get everything connected in some way so he could do the mass transformation that the body wanted to do. They heard the launch of an attack and both Kai and Tyson launched their Beyblades, "Dragoon! "Dranzer!" They both said in unison, having their Bit Beast appear and take the hit.

"Flame Saber!" Kai commanded. Dranzer gathered the flames around his wings before launching it in the trees.

Dragoon went to the other side of Max, making sure that they were protected in that direction as well. When they looked up the burned trees, they noticed that there was a big bird creature up there. It was green colored. Suddenly, other bird like things dropped from the trees, surrounding them. Kenny was moved closer to Max and Ed was guarding them. Kai was suddenly having a sharp pain in his head. He wasn't sure what it was, but was ignoring it as much as he could. The brown birds on the ground opened their months, launching pointed things at them in unison.

Max closed his eyes, trying to keep his calm before noticing that his energy was being taking away from him rapidly and Byakko was transforming at a faster rate. A flash occurred and Max was pushed away from the circle. He landed hard on the ground, and out of the protected circle of his team.

Before anyone could react to what had happened, the ground shot spikes at the creatures, killing them all instantly and their attacks disappeared before they could reach. Kai looked in the direction that Byakko was in just as something leaped out of the pile of smoke. He followed it all the way to the bird in the sky as something was attacking it.

"Max!" Ed called, taking Kai's attention away from Byakko. He was now back to coughing as Ed was picking him up from the snow.

"Tyson?" Kai looked at him, making sure that he was okay.

"We're good on this side." Tyson said before looking at the spikes, "I guess Byakko is back." He remembered that he was able to do this with the ground.

"Call back Dragoon." He said as he did the same with Dranzer. Kai looked up at the battle, seeing that Byakko was using the trees to help him attack the bird. Kai held his head, having the pain pounding away.

"Something up with you?" Kenny asked.

"It's nothing." He said, going back to ignoring it. Byakko finally killed it, since it turned to dust. Byakko landed in front of them, but not as Rei's body. He was now a tiger, and a white one at that. Kai noticed how majestic Byakko looked, staring them down.

Byakko noticed humans once landing. They were all staring in Byakko's direction. Sniffing the air, they didn't seem to be a threat. Byakko walked back and forward, moving closer to them slowly. They were so defenseless. Normally, humans fear before Byakko. Humans fear before tigers, always. Why weren't they afraid?

Kai wasn't sure why Byakko was being cautious of them. He could tell that this was Byakko, completely Byakko and no one else, but something was wrong. He could tell that Byakko was confused by their reaction as he came closer. He wanted them to be afraid of himself. Kai wasn't sure if Byakko was looking to play with them or to hunt them. He wanted them to do something, but Kai also knew that everyone was going to go with whatever he decided. "Byakko?" He asked, knowing by how he reacted to best deal with this situation.

Byakko froze, looking at the human that spoke. How did this human know the name? Byakko got lower to the ground, watching solely him. Byakko wasn't completely on the ground, incase there came a reason to attack this human. Byakko realized that this human was different. Byakko also remembered a time where humans had taken the home away.

Byakko looked around, noticing that this wasn't home. The ground here was a lot harder than the home. The home Byakko only slightly remember because Byakko was taken away at a young age. Byakko wondered where this place was, now trying to remember what happened once leaving home.

Kai wondered if this form had messed with Byakko's memories. Kai tried to remember if Rei had ever told him where Byakko came from. He knew that Byakko was a tiger spirit, so maybe this was Byakko before becoming a spirit. Though, it's kinda odd that Byakko would still be the name, since he figured that someone of Japanese origin came up with that name for Rei.

As Byakko was looking around, feeling the ground with his paws, Kai could tell that Byakko was realizing that this wasn't his normal surroundings. Kai wondered what Byakko was remembering, knowing that the Byakko never knew anything about his past. Kai had actually asked a couple of times, even bringing him to zoos to help him get something, but nothing came back. Kai also realized why Byakko was happy whenever they went, since it was like they were going on a date since Kai had always allowed Byakko to be closer to him. Kai was just worried that Byakko would get into an animal mode and chase after something. As Kai was remembering all the moments that were too precious to really tell anyone about, he realized that he didn't have that pain in his head. He wondered if those birds were connected to his past.

"Is everything okay?" Tyson asked, realizing that everyone else was just too afraid to move. They didn't establish a relationship, or understanding, with Byakko before this and now that he's a full tiger, it didn't help the situation. It also wasn't encouraging that Kai wasn't moving either. Tyson hoped that Kai had an answer. Max was still coughing in the background, though they couldn't do anything about him until they could deal with Byakko.

"I can't say for sure." Kai said, though not taking his eyes off of Byakko. "I think I know what's going on, but I don't want to say until I can tell for sure. What's Max condition?"

"He's temperature is dropping." Ed said, "So the faster we can get this answered, the faster we can get to a safe place to rest."

"I hope we can get that." Kai said, knowing how important it was to go the speed that Byakko was going.

Byakko was slowly remembering that the humans were cruel. They denied Byakko food many times, made Byakko fight a lot of animals, but mainly lions. Byakko won them all, Byakko remembered with pride. Byakko looked back at the human that called the name, seeing that he was relaxing as he watched. Was he a human that was there? Byakko then remembered that those humans were captured by other humans. Byakko was then moved to different places. The humans of those places tried to be kind, but Byakko could never trust them. Byakko was finally given to a place that kept had other tigers. Byakko never really got along with them, and there were many humans that looked at them through a glass.

Byakko remembered that upon arriving at this place that the fights that got Byakko in trouble with the humans would stop. Byakko never bothered with the other tigers, never caring about their social order. Byakko did, though, took joy in scaring humans that were eager to get close to the glass.

Kai wondered what Byakko was thinking, since it looked like he remembered something he wanted revenge for before realizing that Kai wasn't part of that group. What had happened to him in past was now something Kai wanted to know. Though, he could also tell that Byakko had moved on to something that amused him. Kai wondered if Byakko had always had a sense of self, a self that was a bit more human that most other animals had. Byakko looked at him before walking over with no caution. Kai smiled at Byakko, knowing that Byakko hadn't remembered him yet, but knew that Kai wouldn't hurt him. Kai let his hand be in reach of Byakko.

Byakko took a sniff. This human was starting to become very familiar to Byakko, but Byakko wasn't sure as to why. Byakko looked at this human, who was smiling kindly. This human trusted Byakko, maybe even loves Byakko. Byakko wasn't sure why, but Byakko wanted to be submissive to this human. Byakko had never submitted to any human before, even those that had brought Byakko to the glass cage.

Byakko looked at the other humans that were there. They were worried, but not afraid. They weren't giving Byakko the same feeling. Byakko looked at the human with the smile, wondering why it was only this human. Byakko heard a sound coming from behind and immediately turned to face it. Instantly, Byakko's senses were sharpened upon seeing the food. Byakko launched at the food, but they suddenly disappeared before Byakko could eat it. Byakko smelt something more delicious a distance away. The hunger drove Byakko to follow the smell, uncaring for the distance.

"Byakko!" Kai yelled once Byakko took off, having them all go running after him.

Very interesting… Very interesting indeed. I wondered what's going to happen next. I mean, is Rei going to come back? Why did this transformation even occur? Will it happen every time Rei is fused with Byakko and calls out Driger? And why were the bird creatures giving Kai a headache? I mean, it didn't seem like they were able to attack his mind in any way, so there has to be a reason for it, right? So many questions and so many unanswered questions. Will everything be revealed at the end?!!! I guess we'll wait and see.


	29. Chap 28 Thinking After Dinner

HI!!!!!!!!!! How are you doing? I hope it's nice and warm and the birds are singing and the fairies are playing in the air and the sun is smiling wherever you are. It should always being like that, right? Don't you agree? I mean, why should there be rain and thunder and pretty lightning… … … Anyway! It should always be a bright and shining day, I think. That way people will have a reason to smile and sunbath. Come on!! Who wouldn't like to sunbath? The warmth of the sun surrounding you as you chill back, listening to your favorite music, or maybe the sounds of nature. Totally could go for that! But, I guess if it was like that everywhere, we would either be Mercury or Venus… I'm betting Venus since it's hot everywhere there, but there isn't a lot of sunlight… And Mercury is only hot on one side… Darn.

Byakko had suddenly turned around when Kai noticed the sound that he probably heard. He looked into the forest to see a herd of rabbits that were gray furred and standing on their hind legs. They looked like they were going to do something, or that they found something before Byakko launched at them. Kai noticed that Byakko had dove into his animal side, trying to eat the creatures that were killed instantly under his paws. Before Kai could think of something to bring Byakko back, Byakko took off running.

Kai was running after Byakko, with the team following after him. He didn't know that tigers could be so fast. He was barely keeping up with him. By the way that Byakko was running, he was probably going after something that he could eat. Byakko jumped over a log that was too big for Kai to do the same. Kai stopped short of it, catching his breath.

"Move!" Kai heard Max yell. Kai looked before moving, seeing that Max was getting ready to punch after clapping his hands together. He punched straight through the tree, but kept on running without pausing, "I'm tracking Byakko right now." He said back at him. Kai followed after his team went through.

Max was glad that there was a reason for them to run. He was also glad that he thought of this as well. Since running helps keeps the blood flowing and the body temperature warm, it was the best way to keep out the cold that creeps in after using alchemy. He also realized what happened to him when Byakko transformed. Byakko had, probably, subconsciously suck Max's energy to force the transformation since Max wasn't using a lot of energy at once since he needed to keep some for Kai. Max had also noticed that Byakko had also forced the remaining connections needed for the transformation. It probably was brought about because of the danger they were in.

He was also amazed that Byakko knew what to attack and didn't attack them as well. Even though he was barely able to comprehend anything while coughing, he did understand that something was different about Byakko's behavior after he finished fighting. Max can also tell that the transformation itself changed the body greatly. Having plenty of times scanning humans during this trip, he could tell that the body they were chasing after wasn't human. Sure, there are a lot of similar structures and similar configurations, but there were many more difference to make up for the similarities. It was like what he was scanning was never a human before. He wondered if all animals were like this, though figured so since they need difference things to survive.

As they were still running after Byakko, who was less than a kilometer ahead of them but more than 100 meter, and thus, out of their sights. Max looked at Kai. He was still leaking out this world's element. The wounds weren't the source of it either. Max was now a bit more focus on Kai, since he didn't want to have another attack on them while they were running after Byakko. He figured that this would be a good way to lose any creatures that were following them through this. He noticed that the source of the leak was his chest, and it was also where the element was the most concentrated. It even looked to be a shape. Max wondered why he never noticed it like this before. It wasn't like it being in a shape would make it blend easier. Kai was still mixed, and even though it was a shape in his chest, it was still mixed with Kai.

Max started to look into what would plug the leak. He figured that it wouldn't be like his fight, since that was the complete plug. He didn't want Kai to suffer some kind of pain if he did this, since that would be annoying to deal with. Max felt something from his amulet, which made him look at Draciel. He then remembered that the creature is able to conceal his element by making it appear to be smaller. Maybe that was the answer. Kai wasn't leaking when this shape wasn't there, so that shape is the actual problem. He looked to see if he could separate it into smaller parts since he couldn't just shrink it like the creature. Max stopped, breathing hard from the run. Byakko was still running towards his prey, which happened to be in a shape of a deer.

"What's wrong?" Tyson asked, everyone else was tired as well.

"Byakko is heading towards his dinner." Max looked at Kai, "Let me fix you before we go after him."

Kai nodded, though also very tired. "What do you need to do?"

"Relax as much as you can. This will probably hurt a lot." Draciel made a circle around Kai.

Kai started to breath in slowly, something that Rei had taught him to help him relax. When his breathing was going back to normal, he looked at Max, keeping his mind as calm as he could get it. Max closed his eyes before taking a small step into the other circle that was made. Kai was in pain, much like what happened when they entered this world. He was keeping up with the breathing, focusing as much as he could on it. Tyson wondered what was going on, since Kai was trying to not show that it was hurting.

Max looked at Kai, realizing that something was happening on its own. He had managed to separate the shape into six even pieces, but once he did that, it started to move on its own. They quickly lined themselves up down his body, and those spots lit up before sealing up the power. Max was surprised how well it had, since all leaking suddenly stopped. Kai fell to the ground, becoming really weak all of a sudden. It was like this had zapped most of his energy.

"Are you okay?" Tyson asked, going over to him.

"Am I?" Kai looked at Max, who seemed surprised by something. Wasn't what happened his doing?

Max nodded, "It's sealed… I hope you get some answers to what happened here, because this world is weirder than I gave it credit for initially."

"What happened?" Kenny asked as Tyson helped Kai onto his feet.

"Once I separated the element into six evenly pieces, those pieces lined themselves up and completely sealed off the leak. I don't even understand why, so I won't be able to give any explanation."

"Where did they line up?" Kai asked out of curiosity. Max pointed to the points that Rei had mentioned to him once. They were known as the chakra points. They weren't all of them, since there were points on the hands and feet. He figured that the line up was probably due to that, though figured that Rei would be able to give a theory, since this would be more of his thing than Max. "What was with the light?"

"Your guess is as good as mine." Max pulled his jacket more around him, "Let's get going. He's getting close to the deer." He turned around and walked towards Byakko.

"Do you need another jacket?" Ed asked as everyone followed.

"Yeah..." Max didn't want to admit, but had to. "Where are the other ones?"

"Here." Kenny got the bag from Tyson and headed up to Max. He pulled out the blankets that they had. Max wrapped one of them around himself, knowing that this would be good enough as they walked.

"Thanks." Max smiled, "This is good enough until we camp."

"Are we still heading in the right direction?" Tyson asked.

"It's still within my range, but it's to the left of us right now. I'll take another look tomorrow morning. We're actually a lot closer to it as well, so I should be able to scan another fifty to see where we need to go." He coughed a bit.

"Should we keep running?" Kai asked, hating that he's already too weak to walk on his own.

"Why ask that?" Max looked back at him.

"That seems to help you. Obviously, we won't right now."

"If I use my alchemy in a certain way, then I would like to run. Otherwise, we can keep our normal pace. I understand the conditions that get me like this."

"Okay, let us know then in the future." Kai said, understanding that Max didn't want to say. He could tell that Ed also understood the conditions as well. Kai wanted to know, not because he had kept it from them, but because he wanted to be prepared for it. If there was something wrong with Rei, Kai knew enough about Rei's condition to do something about it and to help him.

Kai then realized with a mental laugh that his wounds weren't healed. He figured that he would allow them to remain. After all, the ones that Rei gave him on the way here didn't get healed, so the ones that Byakko gave him should stay as well. There was feeling back in his hand, so he figured that everything was alright. He also wondered how far Byakko could sense things. After all, this was really far from their original position. Unless Byakko became a super tiger, there shouldn't be a way for him to smell something this far away.

"Damn deer." Max said, "Can you run Kai? The deer noticed Byakko." Max looked at him.

Kai wanted to yell that he could barely walk, but got off Tyson just the same, "Let's go."

Max nodded and they all took off running. Max could tell that everyone else, including Ed, was using everything they had to keep up with Max. Max also realized that because of his special condition, his muscles and body chemistry wasn't as used up as the others. Byakko was still running after his prey, who knew the forest a lot better than Byakko. Max felt sorry for the deer, but really did wish that Byakko had killed it upon striking. Max was also surprise at how fast Byakko was. Even though the deer knew the terrain, Byakko wasn't that far from the heels. In little time, Byakko got a hold of the deer and killed it. Max kept them running, since they needed to reach him faster anyway. The mark was just about it at his range before he had them stop.

"How far is he?" Kai asked, the most obvious tired one.

"He's up ahead. He caught the deer, so I figured that we should catch our breaths before we get closer. Also, the mark is right at my range, but we're pretty much parallel to it."

"We'll think of it when we camp, or tomorrow." Kai said, really wanting to get some sleep. He sighed, figuring that he probably couldn't since the others would need their rest. "How is everyone else?"

"Good." Tyson said, with the signs of fatigue on everyone's face, but Max.

Kai straighten himself up, "Let's go to Byakko."

Max nodded and led the way. Max started to wonder why Byakko couldn't sense his scan. He didn't want to blame it on the fact that Byakko was eating like there was no tomorrow, since that shouldn't stop his senses. Though, by the fact that they were able to enter into the clearing that showed Byakko's back and the dead deer without him noticing them, it was probably the most plausible one. Max called back Draciel, since they needed to be very cautious right now.

Kai was kinda surprised at the sight, and the fact that they were able to get so close without Byakko noticing. Kai remembered that Rei had told him that since he witnessed the death of the only creature they killed that he wouldn't be eating meat to honor it. That's probably what got Kai the most right now about this sight. Even though Byakko needed to do this, Kai wondered what Rei would do if he saw this.

"Should we try to get closer?" Tyson asked, knowing that they had to be more cautious since this wasn't a Byakko that would listen to Kai.

"What do you think?" Max asked Kai, since he has to be the one to handle Byakko in the end.

Before Kai could give an answer, Byakko suddenly looked at them. There was blood all over his face before he started to roar at them. This was obviously a Byakko that had embraced the animal that he was. Kai started to walk forward. _There's a way to deal with angry tigers_. Kai heard a female voice say. Kai didn't understand why he was listening to it, believing in it as much as he was. He stopped a bit before Byakko, who was still roaring at Kai with all intentions of attacking if provoked. _You need to open your heart and arms, _Kai did that as he closed his eyes,_ lower yourself to his level, _Kai got himself on one knee,_ and let him know that you mean him no harm. Can you do that for me, Kai? Can you open your heart to him so he knows he's safe? _Kai opened his eyes, smiling at Byakko, believing in their connection to bring Byakko back to him. "Byakko, it's okay. I'm here now."

Everyone else was surprised to see this side of Kai. That wasn't an expression that he would show, ever. Byakko had stopped roaring and was staring him down, walking over to him slowly before remembering him. Byakko started to rub his head against Kai's, with Kai petting him, "Byakko." Kai couldn't even begin to process the overwhelming happiness that was surging up now that Byakko had finally returned. Byakko started to lick him, eventually pinning him down to the ground with his body and not letting him go.

"So he's back?" Tyson asked, seeing that Kai was happy. Byakko looked at them, though it was clear that he didn't recognize them.

"Byakko, they're okay." Kai said, realizing that not all of Byakko's memories were back. "You can check them out for yourself if you don't believe me."

Byakko got up and that's when Kai noticed something he didn't realize before. Byakko walked over to his team as he got himself up from the ground. Byakko believed Kai when he said that they were okay, but Byakko just wanted to see why they knew Kai. It was then that Byakko realized that time had passed. Byakko went back to Kai, sitting down next to him as if guarding him.

Kai got himself up, "Let's set up camp here." The night had already came, but there was moonlight that they would be able to use to see.

"Should I use my Alchemy?" Max asked, since that was the fastest way to get things ready. Tyson and Kenny were already getting the wood for the fire out, placing it near Kai and Byakko.

"Show Byakko how you would make a flame." Kai said before looking at Byakko, "What he's about to do isn't going to hurt me, okay?" Byakko nodded before looking at the boy that spoke. Max clapped his hands together and produced a flame in one for a moment before letting it go. Max could tell that Byakko didn't notice that Draciel had already created a circle where the wood is. He even thought it was weird that Byakko had looked at Kai, as if he could do the same thing. Kai smiled a bit, thinking it was funny how Byakko was urging him on to do the same. "I can't do the same thing."

Byakko seemed to have pouted. "I guess not all of his memories are back." Tyson said as Max lit the wood.

"Oh, Byakko is a girl." Kai looked at everyone, seeing everyone was shocked, "I noticed just now."

"See!" Max pointed at Kai, "Even you couldn't separate the two."

"Rei always referred to Byakko as a guy." Kai said in his defense, "and considering that he could actually see her, I figured he would know." Kai also realized that Byakko herself didn't realize, since Byakko had always used the masculine form of things when referring to himself. Kai looked at Byakko, "You know what gender you are, right?"

Byakko nodded before rubbing her head on his hand. Kai petted her, wondering why she was so sad. Byakko gently took his hand into her mouth, bringing him over to her kill. She let go to tear out a piece of meat, lifting it up to give to Kai. Kai got a feeling that this was very similar. He smiled to Byakko, "Thanks." He took it in his hands. Byakko pushed him back to the fire before going back to her kill.

"I guess the rest of us get fish." Tyson said, thinking that Byakko wouldn't share. The portion that she gave Kai was only enough for him. They all got the things ready to cook as Kai was looking at Byakko. Once they prepared the sticks to roast everything, Kai handed his piece of deer meat to Ed before going over to Byakko.

"What's wrong?" Kai asked in a low voice so the others wouldn't hear. Byakko kept on eating her deer, ignoring Kai, it seemed. "I don't remember my past." Kai sat on the ground. Byakko looked at him, "So if we had met before, I don't remember it." Kai looked at her, smiling at her, "But, we got to meet again and I still love you." Byakko rubbed her head on Kai's, spreading the blood on his cheek. Kai lay his head on hers, "Around you, I tend to let my emotions out more. I'm also slowly remembering things about my past, but there's nothing solid there yet. I'm glad that you were able to come back to me, though." Byakko started to purr. "I'll answer anything you're wondering about when we're done with dinner, okay? I haven't told them anything about what I do realize about my past so I don't want to reveal that you were part of that."

Byakko went back to her kill, though pulling out globs of meat and bringing it over to the fire. She did this a couple of times before pulling Kai off the ground. Kai went over to the fire, sitting down next to her pile as she went back to eating. "So, what happened?" Tyson asked.

"This is Byakko before becoming a spirit." Kai said. "Not all of her memories have come back."

"So how does she recognize you?" Ed asked.

"I was one of the first people to meet her. I don't think that Rei even had allowed his kin to see her."

"I guess she probably wouldn't make an effort to remember us, huh?" Tyson commented, "Why did you do that thing you did to get her to calm down?"

"I had to do it once, so I figured it would work a second time." It wasn't really a lie, since the voice that instruct him was from his past, so he figured that he had to have done something like that before. Kai figured that he would focus on that voice later, since it was a different female voice than the one that had mentioned something about new eyes.

"Can you hear her voice now?" Tyson remembered that Kai said that only Rei could. He wondered if the conditions had changed.

"She hasn't spoken yet, so I can't say for sure." Kai could tell that much. Even though she was very expressive, she hadn't spoken yet.

"How can you hear her speak?" Max asked, already wrapped in the most blankets, "She's an animal. Sure, her expressions can be read, but that's about it."

Kai looked at Byakko, seeing that she wasn't caring about what Max was saying. She was obviously listening, but Kai thought that she was probably using this to understand the world that she was brought back into. This allowed Kai to know that the Byakko that appeared later was probably affected by the strong emotions that they had for each other, but not the understanding of it. The other Byakko would've shown an expression to Max that probably would've told him to back off. "Rei could hear her voice. I can also tell when she wanted to speak to me before. Since she couldn't do so with her voice, I came to understand what her movements and gestures mean."

"Are we allowed to take the meat for tomorrow?" Ed asked, "It would be very helpful."

Kai looked at it, seeing that Byakko had left some meat on there, "We'll see what she says tomorrow morning." He looked back at everyone, "Have her comfortable with your Alchemy before using it to scan her tomorrow." Byakko looked at Kai, looking like she didn't want to have a scan. Kai petted her head, wondering why she didn't want one. "It isn't like the one they give at a zoo. There's a way that he scans that doesn't hurt and you stay conscious throughout it. It's safe." Byakko looked at Max before going back to her food.

"I wonder if the other Byakko is going to come back once Rei's body returns." Tyson pondered, since he was sure that the reaction the other Byakko would've given would've been a lot more glaring.

"I'm guessing not." Kai said, still petting her. He figured that when they get Rei's body back that Byakko would then remember the time that had occurred both before dying and after. Though, he wondered if the others couldn't see that this was the same soul. Kai could tell, though he also knew that the experience from her previous life didn't surface at all. It was probably because Byakko was within Rei's body that Byakko herself thought that she was a he. "I think that creature knows what happened to me when we entered here." Kai suddenly realized.

"Why think that?" Max asked, being the one that analysis things this well.

"He mentioned that I was shining too much… And that someone that I'm never supposed to see will stop at nothing to have what I have once it becomes known."

"How does that translate that he knows what happened to you?"

"… It was because of how I got Dranzer to appear." He looked at everyone, "I think I needed to open the gateway for them to appear, and since he can see the spirit of things, I think he realized that I was the one that opened it. It could be whatever had given me the element you keep referring to."

The food was done so Kenny was handing it out. "Why do the Demolition Boys think of Rei as a broken tool?" Max asked, looking straight at Kai. He just remembered about that, going through his own memories for something that would've revealed if the creature truly did know something about what happened to Kai. Though, the fact that he could control the Bit Beast would probably mean that there was something that he did know about their connection to this world.

"I'm not sure myself." Kai was glad that he didn't have to lie.

"He seemed to point out being beaten to submission when we were talking about pawns. I know you two told us of a beating he received, but were there more?"

"I wasn't with Rei the whole time.. I wasn't allowed to see him a whole lot, either. I don't know what they did to him." Kai wasn't going to mention anything about those other marks on his back. The only beating he saw was to make him submit to follow Boris, but there were other times. "I was told that Rei was involved in something that they were forcing him to do. I don't really know all the details, since the term was never used when I was there and Dmitriy never explained to me what it was… He also seemed to know what was happening to Rei as well."

"Why didn't you press him, then?" Max asked.

"We only met twice before we left. Sophia interrupted before he could tell me and the second time was just before we left. We needed to get out as quickly as possible the final time I saw him. So I never got the chance to have him clarify."

Max looked away, "The creature seemed to have made that a point to mention… It sounded like they tried to force Rei into something."

Kai looked into the fire, knowing that they were. He had always lost his matches, losing his will after each match as they took him away. When Byakko moved, Kai looked to see that she was cleaning herself. "I can't say for sure if they did or not. Like I said earlier, I wasn't around him enough to know.." He took a bite into his deer meat. He hoped that his true knowledge wasn't showing on his face. "Let's hurry up and get some sleep."

Max wondered if Kai was keeping anything from them. He was either looking into his memories to see if there was something there that could've given him a clue, or there was a clue and he just didn't want to mention it. Max didn't want Kai to have all these answers. It wasn't fair to the rest of them. He wanted to know Rei just as much as Kai, even if it wasn't possible. He wanted to have that fair shot.

They finished up and everyone got a place around the fire. Kai was moving slowly since he wanted to know if anyone else could've watched the camp. Seeing how they all went to sleep, and soundly by the looks of it, he figured that he had to stay up until he couldn't and hoped that would be enough to protect them. Byakko started to clean up Kai, making him smile a bit. "Where do you want to sleep?" Kai asked once she was working on his hands.

She grabbed his hands in her mouth again and pulled him over to a log that was there. Kai sat down next to the log and she laid over his legs, but having her body cover a good portion of it. Kai petted her, "Thanks for the meat."

She started to purr, rubbing her head against his hand. Kai looked at his team, wondering why they had to bring up Rei's experience again. It wasn't like he knew any better than when they first told them. Sure, they were keeping things away from them, but that was because they needed to keep the story somewhat continuous. With Rei not remembering anything, they didn't have all the pieces of the puzzle. Kai placed the blanket that he had grabbed for himself over Byakko. "The past that I know of is one that revolves around my Grandfather." Byakko looked at Kai, though he could tell that she recognized who that was. "Yeah.. but I'm starting to regain memories from a time when I was with a father… when I was with a family that had loved me… I don't know who these people are, but I'm trying to find them. I'm going to guess that I met you from that past as well, right?"

_That's right._ Kai blinked for a moment before realizing that the voice he heard was from Byakko. He started to tear up, bending over to hug her, "I heard you. I heard your voice." Kai buried his head into her fur, covering from the rest of the world his joy. Her voice was that innocent voice that was always mixed with Rei when Byakko was out. "Right now," Kai stayed where he was, "you're a spirit that is with Rei. He gained you so that he could place the skills he obtained for some mission, since he needed to appear to be the same. I'm sorry that you were taken away from your rest, but I'm also really glad that we got to see each other again."

Byakko rubbed her head against Kai, _Have you met any of your family?_

"No, I haven't. There's someone called Seto Kaiba that thinks he knows my father, but other than that, I haven't met anyone… We're in a tournament and Jade and Krypton are our coaches that were taken away from us. There's someone here called TK and I think he's part of my past as well, but I want to get Jade and Krypton first. There's also a creature from here that seems to know my past as well."

_So we're not in our world?_

"We're not. We're in some other world that has creatures that can attack. TK has one of them, called Patamon."

_I see… _She moved to look at Kai, _Though, know that you haven't changed much._ Kai noticed that she was smiling.

"I doubt that. I had been very cold-hearted until recently. It's really hard for me to allow myself to show a lot of emotions to the others over there."

_You care for Rei, right? You want to protect him and be his support._

Kai thought about it for a moment, "I think he protects me a lot more than I protect him, but you're right. I do want to be there for him and protect him. He's the first person that I could really consider a friend and he's starting not to hide from me… He has a past that he doesn't want a lot of people knowing. It's a past that involves a mother that's not his real mom, but he considers her his real mom… I don't know why he needs to keep it a secret, but I think because of this, he doesn't allow a lot of people to see the true him."

_You'll know the truth when you get your family back._ She laid back down on his legs, _And I was right, you haven't changed at all. Tell me of the life that you know._

Kai started to tell her of the life at the abbey and with his Grandfather. He even included of what he had gained back, about the man that he ran into after Dark Dranzer who brought him to his Grandfather. When he was feeling really horrible of the life he led, she comforted him by moving closer to him. He also didn't leave anything out when going through their tournaments. He realized that there was always something a bit different about Rei's behavior throughout their travel but he never thought that it would be connected to Mr. Dickenson. He only thought about it now because of recent events when involving him. It almost made him want to ask Rei about it, since it wasn't something that would've been seen otherwise. Kai also realized how much Rei was hiding, and yet how open he pretended to be. Kai started to feel sleepy when he was getting towards recent events of this tournament, still not leaving out anything since Byakko knows Kai from before. He was glad that she was going to let him discover his past. Or it might just be that something was making her realize that she needed to allow him to discover his past on his own. Either way, it felt right that she didn't tell him about the past he is longing to know.

_See, you haven't changed. _She said, _You're still the same kid I met all those years ago._

"The thing I did today, did I have to do the same thing during that time… I was hearing a voice that instructed me to do so, which is why I followed. It was different from the voice that allowed me to bring out Dranzer."

_You calmed me down the first time you did it… And the voice was probably your sister…_

"I have a sister?"

_You have two, though I only met one since the other was far away._

"Tell of me of your past."

_.. Alright. When I was a little one, I was taken away from my mother. I don't know if the humans had killed her or not or what happened to my siblings, but they brought me to a place where I was being tormented to fight. I fought against so many, growing up in such a place. I grew to be very strong and very dangerous. I had also mistrusted humans, since they were the ones that were tormenting me. I could also tell that I was the only one out of all the animals that kept something of myself. I couldn't hear the other animals when they were fighting against me. I was allowed to kill, but I never ate the opponent. I saw many others did, though._

_We were eventually rescued from that place. I was placed in various places, showing that I wasn't going to accept their kindness. I don't know why they never put me down, since I saw a bunch of others being put down. By the time that I was moved to a zoo in Japan, I decided to let myself stay there. I never bothered with the other tigers there, and I also never bothered with the humans until they brought over the food. Once I noticed that humans liked going up against this glass that separated me from them, I decided to give them a little scare. It was my thing to do, but I never got in trouble since I would only do it enough to get them scared before going away. I wasn't doing the same thing when I met you, but I was planning on it._

"What happened last time?" Kai was just too curious not to know.

_You were claiming someone was more beautiful than me._

"Really? So I guess I apologized, huh?" She nodded her head. "Did I hear your voice before?"

_Yes, you could also hear the birds as well. When you see your father again, don't worry about him being disappointed in you. I'm sure he won't be._

Kai didn't realize that he would be worried, but figured that he probably was. After all, he knows that he's not the same boy as before. He had changed into something that his Grandfather wanted. "I'll remember that." Kai said, though kinda wondering how true that will be. "Was I able to understand the other tigers, or just you?"

_I was the only one that had a voice, really, but they never bothered with me when we talked. They could speak, but it wasn't anything like me._

"I also realized that I can understand Chinese. Do you know why I do?"

_You were learning it. You wanted to go to China for the longest time. You can also summon fire into your hands._

"Is that why you were urging me to do the same?" She nodded. Kai lifted his hands, looking at them. "Do you have any idea on how?" She shook her head. Kai closed his eyes, wondering if it comes from inside of him. He remembered Rei saying that all energies are concentrated near the center of the stomach, so maybe that's where he needed to gather it from. He instantly felt something that was very similar to what was happening when the creature was within another creature. It was before he was knocked onto the ground. He wondered if he was able to pull it up when in danger. There was a flick before he noticed heat between his hands. He opened them to see a flame there, "Wow… Where does it come from?"

_You knew that everyone knew where it probably came from, but they never told you. They were probably waiting until you had a better understanding of the world around you. No one thought that you would be taken away and never to be found again._

Kai let go of his flame, for some reason feeling excited about showing this to Rei whenever he comes back. He laid his head on hers, "Sorry. I guess I never found a way to escape." He figured that she passed away from loneliness once it was told to her that he would never come back. And now that he was here, he wanted to go to sleep. "Man, I'm really tired."

_I'll keep watch for you._ She got a bit more comfortable for Kai, _Go to sleep._

Kai started to relax, "Thanks."

WOW!! Kai could've gotten all of his answers and then everything would've been solved. Oh well, if he wants to remain in the dark, he can remain in the dark. I mean, if it was me, I would've milked her for all the information that she could've given me. I mean, come on. He's been searching for his family and here was a piece of the puzzle right before his eyes and he doesn't take it. Though, I guess it was probably before she didn't really offer much either. She could've just spilled everything to him, but she didn't. Maybe, just maybe, they're both weird. That has to be it. They're both weird.


	30. Chap 29 Answers and Explains

YAY!!!! Time for more adventures of the BladeBreakers!!! It's morning now for them and they are going to wake up to a beautiful and cheerful morning. Everything will be right with the world when they open their eyes to the new day and continue on their quest to the center, where the ultimate evil awaits!! Who could this person be that they must never meet? Will Kai ever learn about his past? I guess we just have to wait and see…

Rei didn't hear Kai as the creatures shaped as elephants ran passed him. Once the herd had passed, he looked at Lee and Mariah before standing up. "Give them back." Rei had merged with Byakko, knowing that he couldn't hold back with this guy.

Lee waved the creature that held Mariah away, "She'll be saved in no time, the same with this team." The creature said, "I see that I was mistaken. She did leave you something."

"What's your name?" Rei knew, generally, what he was, but it was pretty obvious that this creature had known her on a personal level.

He smiled, "As she ever mentioned someone that's evil to the core, but is their most trusted friend?"

Rei's eyes widened, "How did you get out?"

Lee smiled, "That's a secret for another day… Though, I would like to see how they would react if you told them." He pointed to Lee's head, "You met a relative already."

"Face me yourself!" Rei demanded, not wanting to get Lee involved in this. He couldn't attack with his full force against Lee's body.

Colorful bits were being pulled out from Lee's body, leaving his body to fall to the ground as the creature appeared before Rei. He looked to be human, though Rei had already known that. He finally got to look at the face that he had heard stories about when he was younger. Rei got into a stance, "Are you the only one out?"

"I am. I am a genius, after all."

"And what orders of your Master do you have?"

He smiled, "I see you know quite a bit about me. I'm here to prevent their ultimate enemy from gaining the power he's seeking. He already has two pieces of the puzzle."

"Jade and Krypton?" Rei asked, wondering if that's why they weren't being returned to them, and probably why they weren't attacking them.

"You know of them?" He seemed surprised, meaning that he didn't read all of Lee's memories. "Yes, they're with him. I couldn't stop him from getting them since he's working with two other people. These two people don't seem to know about their real value, and their enemy was keeping it away from them. So, for your own good, don't go to the center. If you do, you're not going to be getting out of there."

"Thanks for the warning," Rei launched at him, going fully at him, "but we're heading there without fail."

He was fighting seriously as well, "Guess I need to stop you. And here I was trying to be nice since I like your family." They fought like this for a good while, with Rei obviously being the weaker of the two. Was all his training, all he has worked for nothing? He couldn't even beat someone he needed to.

"Why are you after Kai?" Rei asked, remembering that there were other creatures from this world that had tried before.

"An order from the old days." The creature kicked Rei into a tree. Rei hit it really hard, knocking the wind out of him in an instant. He was held in place, though, because the creature had grabbed his hair, "And you're about a thousand battles too young to fight against me. You need to be willing to kill me if you wanted to beat me." He looked behind him, as if sensing something. He sighed, looking back at Rei. "I'm going to knock you out. It's better to appear to be dead right now. I'll attract them away from you, but I don't think all would follow me. Sleep well." Rei was suddenly struck against the tree with enough force to leave him unconscious.

Byakko woke up, having noticed that Rei was out and that danger was heading their way. Byakko looked up, seeing weird creatures coming at them. Byakko summoned the ground to impale them, though the ones that got away, Byakko fought against. He defeated them easily, and seeing that there were no more around, he took a look around. Kai wasn't anywhere in sight, and he wasn't close either. Byakko noticed his scent as well as others. Byakko became very worried about Kai's safety, since Rei was knocked out and Byakko wasn't sure why. Byakko looked at the sky, noticing that the sun was going down. It was getting a lot colder, so Byakko had allowed more fur to appear on Rei's body. This was something that Byakko had never allowed, since he knew that Rei would want to keep the body as human as possible. Byakko noticed a scent of deer in the air as well, deciding to get food in his stomach before looking for Kai.

He had chased it down, attacking it without much thought. Once having his fill of meat and cleaned himself up, he went back to tracking Kai. Byakko was wondering who these other people were. He didn't recognize them, and feared that they were people that would do the same thing that people did to Rei. Unfortunately, if he was too focused on thought, he would lose their scent. He also noticed that there was a scent of weird creatures as well, though it was a lot fainter than it should be. Byakko couldn't even identify what they were, it was so faint. Eventually, he was getting a stronger and stronger scent of Kai, meaning that he was getting closer and closer to him.

Rei noticed that he wasn't in his body when he woke up. He could feel the familiar floating feeling whenever Byakko was in control. He looked around, seeing that Byakko was in here as well, but sleeping. "Byakko…" Rei called, feeling some strange weakness about him.

Byakko looked at Rei before moving over to him, rubbing his tiger head against Rei's. He was glad that Rei was alright, Rei heard him say. Rei petted his head, "How is everyone else?"

Byakko looked at Rei, asking Max's relationship with Kai. Rei was surprised, but realized that everyone probably hounded Kai when they saw Byakko. "There's nothing between them. Max is my partner when we battle. He's a friend to both of us, but nothing more. Why?"

Byakko was saying Max was giving Kai weird looks and stuff, which didn't make Byakko all that happy. Rei laughed, knowing of Byakko's love for Kai. He didn't know how serious it was, since he never asked what they did when they were together, but he could tell that there was love there. "Are you causing trouble for Kai?" Rei asked with a laugh.

Byakko looked away, "What did you do?" Byakko told of how he attacked Max and how Kai protected him. Though, that was the only trouble he gave to Kai. He told of how they seem to be running low on meat, since he had to hunt something for them. Rei was hoping that they were going to be okay.

Suddenly, they felt some kind of danger in the area of the body. Rei tried to move, but for some reason still unable to. He remembered that he told him that it would be better to appear to be dead. That probably meant that he had done something to his soul to make it appear that he wasn't alive. He wondered if he looked enough to know about Byakko. The danger quickly rose as the time passed, "I can't move, so take care of Kai for me. Protect our team, okay?"

Byakko nodded before disappearing to be the conscious for the body. Rei relaxed again, since there wasn't much else he could do. For some reason, he started to remember his past, the past that was never allowed to be revealed to anyone. He wasn't sure as to why before realizing that someone was accessing them. He was trying to fight against them, not allowing them to see what no one was allowed to see, but he was no match for this person. They looked at everything. They looked at the time when he left the village; the time he became the puppet; the time he traveled to be in those other tournaments, being the winner so he didn't have to be on a team; his time with his team; the time he took to train; the time in Australia. It sped past all the time in Russia, forcing him up with a horrifying scream.

Kai woke up, hearing Rei scream. He was back and without any clothes. "Rei.." He wondered what got him to look so horrified.

Rei looked at him, the fear and tears coming from his eyes. Kai couldn't help but see him as a meek person in his state. Kai pulled in him, letting his time with Byakko to open him up to the one person that was his best friend. Rei curled up next to him, crying a bit louder than he probably would have otherwise, "… I was raped…" Kai heard him say softly, ".. the last time we were here… over and over again…" They heard a noise and Rei moved away from Kai, jumping over the log into the woods.

"Rei!" Kai called after him before he was gone. Kai looked to see that Max and Ed were up.

"Rei's back?" Max asked, "Where did he go?" He seemed very excited.

"He went to get food." Kai lied, looking at the path he took. He knew that once Rei was able to compose himself again, he would return. The image of him before running was played in his head, almost making him run after Rei.

Rei collapsed onto the ground, crying and wanting to end his life right here. Suddenly, he was picked up and cradled in someone's arms. "It'll be okay, Rei." Said the voice that held him. Rei cried more and more, getting the feeling of home from this person. Soon, he cried himself to sleep.

Everyone was up by the time that they were cooking breakfast. They decided that since Rei was back that they were allowed to use the deer meat. There was a sound of ruffling leaves where Rei ran. Kai stood up, looking in that direction. He knew that Rei would be wearing a mask, but he wondered how good it would be. But, the person that appeared wasn't Rei, and Rei was being carried in his arms like a child. Rei was wrapped securely in the blanket, sleeping but not very peacefully. Kai didn't know who this person was, but he lifted up his arms, saying that he would take Rei. The person smiled kindly at him, as if seeing something that was what he expected, "Take care of him." The man said as he gave Rei to Kai, "I will see you around."

Kai just watched as this man walked away. He looked at Rei, now knowing that this was someone that Rei could trust to some degree. "Who was that guy?" Max asked, not liking how Rei came back.

"I don't know…" Kai said before turning around, "Look to see if Rei has extra clothes in his bag."

Kenny did so, "He does." He got up, though feeling the run from yesterday all over his body. "Here." He placed it near where Kai was last night. Kai sat down, obviously not letting Rei go.

"Don't you think that would make Rei awkward?" Max asked.

"I'll deal with it then." Kai said, making Max look away as to not show his anger.

Rei moved his eyes, realizing that he had fallen asleep. He looked up, seeing that Kai was now next to him. The look on his face was telling him that he was worried about what happened, but he wouldn't comfort him. Rei wasn't sure why he wanted to be comforted, since he had trained himself to remove such longing. Rei lay on Kai's shoulder, wondering if Kai could hear his heart. "How are you doing?" Rei's eyes were alarm before looking at Tyson, who was near everyone else.

"Get changed before we have breakfast." Kai said, getting up with Rei's still in his arms. He helped him to stand before handing him his bag. Rei looked at Kai before nodding. He walked to a place out of their sights before curling up in a ball.

"Is everything okay?" Tyson asked, seeing how alarm Rei was. He wondered if it would be better if they all head off in some direction before them or allow Kai to go to Rei.

Kai didn't say anything, which wasn't making Max happy. How could he know anything in the short time that Rei was back, unless he came back during the night when they were all asleep? The look on Kai said that he knew something. Rei came back, though he let his hair remain down and wasn't wearing the piece that went over everything else. He kept the blanket around him, though.

"Are you okay?" Max got up, walking over to him.

Rei took a step back before moving his head to the side and started to vomit. Kai grabbed him, making sure he didn't fall into it. He looked towards Max, seeing that the blood and pieces that Byakko left on the ground was probably what got Rei. "Byakko killed a deer last night and that's where she was eating it."

Rei looked at Kai once he was done, pale as when they left the abbey. Rei looked to where a kill would be and noticed the body. He reached for his bag and walked over to it. Kai watched as Rei stuck his hand inside, feeling around for something before pulling it out. Rei moved beside it, and dug up the dirt. "Max, can you get some water ready for Rei?" Kai asked quietly, seeing that he was doing some kind of ritual.

"Don't tell me that you know what he's doing." Max looked at Kai.

"No… I don't." Kai watched him, knowing that they would have to give Rei something else. Though, Kai also understood that they would have to make it look like he was okay with meat.

Max gathered the water from the air and created a pocket of water. It was a good thing that he could use his amulet in situations like these, so he didn't have to use himself as a circle or the rune for water. Rei stood up and walked over to everyone. Kai could see that he was now wearing his mask. "Here Rei." Max said, holding the water above his hands.

Rei looked at it before slowly washing his hands in there, "Thanks." He said with his usual smile. "Sorry for all that happened."

"What did happen?" Tyson asked, hoping that it was safe.

"I fought against the creature, but he got the upper hand and knocked me out. I hope that Byakko wasn't too much trouble."

"He was cool. Though… You should let him know us as well." Tyson was going to mention about the whole changing thing, but Kai shot him a look.

Rei grew soft, "Sorry, but I had to keep him a secret. Though, I'll try to get him more comfortable around you guys. He's really protective of Kai and me."

"Kai was telling us." Max said. "Can you eat?"

"Sorry, my stomach feels really weird." Rei placed his hand on his stomach. "Oh, did you guys learn anything?"

"We learned that the creature you fought against is going to try to stop us from getting to the center." Kenny said. "Apparently, there's someone there that Kai is to never meet and he's going to make sure of that."

"I've been studying a lot of what happens with him as well." Max said, sitting down next to Ed, "He can enter into a body, he can change his size, and he can control both Bit Beast and Blader. Oh, he mentioned to us that he told you how he was able to control the Bit Beast."

Rei sat down, though Kai was surprised that it was next to the pile that Byakko made. "I'll mention what he told me once I'm updated."

"We fought against him when he entered into another creature and when he was controlling the Demolition Boys. He fought against Byakko, me and Kai. With my scanning abilities, I found that he was controlling both the Blader and the Bit Beast, but he wasn't using the Blader to control the Bit Beast. There's a connection that allows us to control our Bit Beast and he knew of it. He's also able to enter the mind. I think he was planning on controlling me, but thanks to your training and Draciel, he wasn't able to. When he increases his element, I think all the creatures can sense it and come after it. Oh, though I noticed that there were times that I couldn't detect Byakko when I was scanning. It was when he wasn't in my view. Whenever he was, he had the same things as you."

"It might be that Byakko is a spirit, and even though we're using the same body, it's not the same effect." Rei offered. He looked at Kai, "What did you learn?"

"I think he's connected to my past, but for some reason he didn't know about my Grandfather." Kai was glad that Rei would've understood everything with just that. "He didn't realize that Byakko was the one in control of the body. He also mentioned that there are these Guardians that we need to find and that you met one of them before."

"I've never heard of someone referring to themselves as that." Rei said.

"Who was the person that brought you back?" Max asked.

Rei blinked for a moment, "I passed out, so I don't know."

"Why did you run?"

"… I remember what happened the last time I was here." He said with a blank stare. Kai could tell that he didn't want to mention it, but he also didn't want them to know when a mask is up.

"Are you going to tell us?" Max asked, not wanting Kai to be the only one that knows.

"I smell breakfast!" They heard from the opposite direction that Rei returned from. TK and Patamon appeared, "Oh, hi everyone." He said with a smile.

"What are you doing here?" Tyson asked.

"I smelt food." TK pointed to his nose, "May I join you?"

"Yeah." Kai said, glad that something happened to prevent them from asking more. TK and Patamon sat down next to Kenny.

"Wow, who got that?" TK pointed to the deer.

"It was luck." Kai answered. He noticed that the meat was done. "Here." He offered the one that was meant for Rei to him.

"Thanks!" TK took it and split it with Patamon, "So, anything new with you guys?"

"There's this creature that is very hard to beat." Max said, looking hard at TK, "We want to know if you know of him and if there's anything that you might be able to say about Kai's involvement with this world."

"What's the creature's name? The creatures here all have a name that they call themselves. If I know the name, I would be able to give you more information."

"He never gave us a name, but he looked like a human and is able to enter people and control people. He mentioned that there are people that were called Guardians that we needed to meet."

"Human, you say?" TK took a bit from the meat, "Was he a really good fighter?"

"Yeah." Rei said, "I couldn't beat him."

TK nodded, "I might have run into someone like that in my past, but it's hard to say. There are different levels to them and the level that he might belong to isn't supposed to make themselves known. They're really secretive, so I doubt that it would be him, but at the same time, I can't say for certain. So, what's up with Kai?"

"It seems like he's connected to this world. When we entered, he suddenly had this world mixed within him."

"What do you mean?"

Max sighed, forgetting that even though they met him, he doesn't know anything about their group. "I have a way at looking what's happening with energy flow. All the other people that were captured and force to fight us only had a creature placed within them and thus only had this world within them. Kai is different since this world is mixed within him. If we were to try to separate the world from him, he would most likely die. I was hoping that you can explain that."

TK pulled an orb from his back pocket. It was yellow in color and had something floating inside of it. Kai averted his eyes, knowing that he had seen that before, but didn't want to show it to the others. "This is my sign to show that I belong to this world." TK explained, "It's not showing any signs that Kai is connected to this world through this since it isn't reacting."

"How about Patamon sensing for him? Kinda like you were wild and you needed to find more power."

"What have you been doing when I'm asleep?" TK looked at Patamon, with Patamon hitting TK on the head.

"Why don't you tell them about the center? Don't you think we wasted enough of their time?"

"But they were asking me questions…" TK said in a whimpering voice.

"What about the center?" Kai asked, knowing that there are two reasons they should head there and a few of why they shouldn't.

"We discovered that Jade and Krypton are there and that the people there are planning on using them to fight against you guys next."

"Why didn't you save them?" Kai stared at him.

"Kaiba's team needed my help so I had to head back to them. I couldn't enter where they were without a good plan because there's someone there that can't really know that I'm involved."

"Why?" Tyson asked.

"I don't want more trouble later. I'm allowed to enter this world, but only certain parts. My sign is already past on to someone else, so I'm only allowed to access it in short burst. Plus, this person can attack people that I love and care about, and I can't let him have a reason to do so."

"So we're going to have to fight against them.. That's going to be tough." Kai said, "In our sport, they're levels above us. I don't think we can even face them on even grounds. We would lose."

"You can't have that attitude!" Patamon said. "If they're really important to you, then you have to do everything you can to get them back."

"You're asking us to not only to fight against them, which they're much better at this game than us, and to free them, which we don't even know how. We're not Kaiba's team. Even if they never had to do something like this, they have a lot of experience under their belt to be able to come up with something."

"It sounds like to me that you have someone here that can do something." TK looked at Max, "At least, from the small amount that you allowed me to know. I'm sure there's more to it, right?" He asked with a smile.

"I have been looking into it, but I can't seem to find a solution."

"You have plenty of time." TK got up, "I'll try to explain what I know as we head in their direction. You can't give up when you haven't even tried."

Tyson noticed that feeling he got from TK before. It was the feeling that one could do anything as long as they believed. "Do you know where the center is?" Tyson asked.

"We do indeed!" TK said with a smile.

"But first, we need to get you guys to believe in yourselves. If you don't have the confidence to win, you're not going to win." Patamon said.

"Do they have a Bakumon in them as well?" Kenny asked.

"No, they're being controlled a different way." TK looked up in the sky, "I'll explain why they're wanted by the person that can't know I'm here, but we should get going."

They started to pack up their things. Kai was noticing that the run was affecting most of them. The only ones that were fine were Rei and Max. Rei got the fire put out by kicking a lot of dirt on it. Kai could tell that Rei was back with the mask. He wondered if Rei let down his guard when he woke up since he thought that they were alone. Kai hoped that Rei would allow his emotions to control him a bit more since he figured that that would be healthier than keeping it inside.

"Why are you walking so slowly?" TK asked as they headed out. Max was staying near Ed, and Rei was with Kai, but everyone was walking like they had lost a limb.

"We ran a lot yesterday." Tyson said, helping Kenny walk along.

"You guys need more exercise then." TK started to walk more slowly. "So, what happened to Jade and Krypton is apparently, they entered this world and were cornered immediately by some rogue creatures. They were very good at defeating them… But there were a few that were following the person… So, sensing that there was something strong about these two, they called upon the Bakumon. Once they were there, they only needed to grab one for the other to be immobile. My unique connection to them is also why they're being held captive. As we were monitoring them, they took out the Bakumon and placed some kind of other control on them." Rei grabbed Kai's arm, but otherwise didn't change. Kai remembered that Rei had a chip in his head and knowing that he had got all his memories back, he was probably hoping that they weren't given the same thing.

"So, we have to remove the thing that's control them. Where is it located?" Tyson asked.

"We didn't see the process. Though, there are two other people that my person is working with that don't know of the value in connection to this world. They want to use them in some different way that deals directly with you."

"So we have to find this control and remove it? In our battles, we don't really have that chance." Max pointed out. He knew that he would have to be the one that would do something.

"Yes, it would be difficult, but don't make it seem like you have to give up right then and there." TK smiled, "I'm telling you everything I know so you can come up with a plan. Well, I guess probably more like weaken the control. I and another person will probably have to rescue them ultimately."

"They're our coaches." Kai said, making sure that he didn't see Rei's hand. "Even though we're not confident in beating them since we understand how strong they really are, we have plenty of ways of saving them."

TK smiled, "Okay, understood. So, with what I gave you so far, how are you planning on doing so?"

"We'll come to that when we face them."

"That's all I know of their conditions. I don't really know if they're still able to be reached because of this control. I guess your bond is going to be the test of that."

"Did they take anything from Krypton?" Kai decided to ask, needing to know.

"I didn't notice anything, why?"

"The other two people there are people that are connected to me… Krypton had something of mine that they wanted me to have so I was wondering if they took that from him."

"Who are these people? It seemed like they were familiar with my person, though not enough to know his true goals."

"One of them is someone that worked in an abbey in Moscow and trained a group that we had faced. The other one is the man that funded him and my Grandfather. They created a beast that is very dark in nature and very powerful that was meant to be given to me to capture other beast. Krypton kept him for me since I didn't want it, but I also couldn't be completely trusted with it."

"No, he didn't take something from Krypton." TK smiled, "And it didn't seem that they had something like that in their possessions… How was Krypton in handling this dark creature?"

"He didn't seem to be corrupted by it like I was… Why?" Kai has always thought that since Krypton had no intentions of using him that this is what saved him from the powers of Dark Dranzer, but TK made it seem like there was probably another reason to this.

"Krypton and Jade are special in many ways." TK looked ahead, "They weren't powerful as some other people that I know…" And he suddenly got quiet. Tyson looked at Kai, seeing that he decided not to bother him.

Max wondered what he was talking about, but seeing how Kai wasn't going to ask him anymore, Max wasn't going to bother with it. He brought out his journal and started to write down everything he learned yesterday. He put in Rei's theory about Byakko being a spirit. He almost wanted to peg the same thing for the creature, since there were times that he couldn't sense him either, but wondered if there was another reason for him.

"How bad are your legs?" Rei asked quietly.

"They really hurt." Kai said, "We ran on empty stomachs since we didn't have lunch. We ran to escape creatures twice and then to chase after Byakko when she hunted. Oh, you're low on the thing for Max, but he found a way to get over it faster."

"How?" Rei looked at him, though still not being very loud.

"He found that running helps him… Can you eat something light?"

Rei looked like he wanted to curl up next to Kai, though settled for being nearer to him, "Let me prepare it… Can someone else cook the meat, though?"

"Sure… Oh, Byakko is actually connected to my past as well, and I was able to hear her voice."

Rei looked at Kai, "Really? How so?"

"She was last placed at a zoo in Japan before she passed away. I probably met her there when I was younger and I probably visited her many times as well before leaving. I'm also guessing that she probably died from loneliness, since the only bond she ever created with someone else was with me. Oh, she's a girl."

Rei looked confused, "Really?"

Kai nodded, "I was surprised to, since Byakko, when controlling the body, always referred to herself as a guy, but she regained her memories of her former life."

"That's a good thing know… Did you learn about your past through her, then?"

"Nah.. I think she wanted me to find my father, I guess. She said that I haven't changed, though."

Rei smiled, "I would think you have. I mean, you did grow up in a completely different environment. Yoma is the testament to that."

"She pointed it out twice. Unless I wasn't completely honest with her in my past, I would think that she would know."

Rei looked up, "We should probably find a place to eat."

"It hasn't been that long, though." Kai pointed out.

"It's better not to overwork the body when this exhausted. I have something that will help with the limbs."

"We're going to be taking a break." Kai announced to everyone else. Kai looked at Max, wondering if he wanted to use his Alchemy.

"I think there'll be a place to take a break over there." Max pointed to their side, "We'll gather wood along the way."

"Good, TK, can you stay behind for a moment?" Kai looked at him. TK nodded, though no one really understood as to why. Kai hid the fact that he was keeping Rei with him, since no one from his team was noticing it. "They told us two their past. So how are you connected to them?"

TK blinked, "Really? Well, I'm connected to their parents."

"Why didn't you come for them?"

"We came back for them the moment we realize that the other people were about to be gone, but we couldn't find them anywhere."

"And are they connected to this world like you?"

"Kinda… They're connected to this world since their parents are, but they're not connected to this world since they weren't given a sign like mine. Only a few were past on, and the ones that would've given theirs up didn't."

"Okay… I just needed to use you as a ruse. Can you walk ahead a bit, but not enter the camp until we reach you?"

TK nodded and headed off. "Why?" Rei looked at Kai once TK was out of range.

Kai pulled Rei closer to him, hugging him, "Sorry I couldn't do this before. I was thinking that you probably didn't want the others to see this side."

Rei lay on Kai's shoulder, finding it kinda awkward since they're nearly the same height. The feeling of being safe was overcoming him, though, so he didn't mind. He started to shake, forcing the memories to stay where he couldn't see them. Kai hugged him tighter, understanding that since Rei needed to keep his mask for the others that he wouldn't cry here. He just needed to know that he was okay. Kai remembered what he said to Byakko. He wanted to protect Rei, and so hoped that this is what he needed to do in order to help him.

Max wondered if Kai was keeping TK so that he could do his Alchemy without showing it. They got a fire going before they got back and Rei started to prepare some kind of drink, by the kind of things he was doing. "I'm going to prepare a drink to help you guys move around. We shouldn't be too slow since we don't know when we'll be attacked."

"That's a good plan. I don't want to plan my survival on my adrenaline." Tyson said with a smile.

"What did the Yami Hunters needed to do?" Kenny asked.

"Oh, they needed help with saving the other people here. There were a few people that had creatures in their tops and they were finding it hard to save them from the Bakumon. We also had to transport them outside of the tournament area. People they trust and some of Kaiba's men are taking care of all the people that came in."

"Did you happen to see a woman that looks kinda like me?" Max asked, now remembering about his mom. "I mean, at the center of this place. She was supposed to be with one of the teams that have beast in their blades, but she wasn't with them when we faced them."

"I didn't notice a female, did you?" TK looked at Patamon.

Patamon narrowed his eyes, "You want a Warlord armor too?"

"I would prefer that more than your nasty habit."

"I didn't notice a lady there either." Patamon looked at Max, "Though, that doesn't mean that she isn't there. We couldn't really get ourselves inside to have a look around. We might be sneaky, but we are dealing with a higher density of creatures and limited human participation."

"But you should be able to sneak in, right? Since you're a creature too." Ed offered.

"That would make sense for someone that isn't me. If they happened to see a Patamon flying around, they would probably question as to why. The creatures that are connected to a human aren't hard to find around the world, but they would know if one of them was part of their ranks than a creature that was never connected to a human."

"And even though we know of someone that can create a creature to sneak in for us and get us information, or to allow us to hide, we can't show that she's not locked up." TK said, "We try to avoid areas that we've touched before because we can't have our friends being hurt."

"So, what are Jade and Krypton powerful in?" Kai asked as Rei was handing out the drink to those that needed it.

TK looked at the ground, "According to my niece, people in this world are mostly divided into two camps of people. The camps are the elements of light and dark. Most people can't access the element they are born into, but there are those that are stronger than others. Jade and Krypton weren't as strong as my nieces, but they were better than average."

"Why those two?" Rei asked, knowing that people normally have a connection with a particular element if they're spiritually aware of things. He thought it would be best to not bring this up incase TK didn't know about this.

"It's just how the world works. I was never given the crash course of it, and only my niece knew the whole explanation of it since she got it from a goddess. There are people born into the other elements of fire, air, water and earth, but those are much rarer. The strongest light is someone that enters darkness and still not be consumed by it. The strongest darkness is someone that is comfortable in their surrounds and doesn't drown themselves in power. The niece that learned about this is someone of the dark and the other is someone of the light. They're powerful enough to hold onto any dark power and any light power without it affecting them."

"Shouldn't having light with darkness be a good thing?" Tyson asked.

"It is if the two can coexist with each other. If the light overpowers the darkness, the darkness feels threaten and thus does things once it has power to remain in power. This happens when light is given to someone of darkness, because in our world, being good is a lot more rewarding than being bad. If the darkness is given to someone of the light, the darkness tries to overpower the light. If the light isn't strong enough, the darkness can infect the light like a virus. This doesn't happen if the darkness and light had been together for a long time, though, but I believe that there isn't a being alive that can hold such a power anymore."

"Sounds like there are people that can hold both light and dark, though." Max pointed out.

"They are people that can hold both, but that's only after they are comfortable with their own element first. They're not born with both light and darkness coexisting within them since they were born. There was a lineage for a long time, but they had died out and their power got spilt up."

"Where is that power now?" Rei asked.

"I don't really know. I know the person who is holding onto it, but he hasn't passed it on yet to anyone. It isn't a power that can be given to just anyone because of how powerful it is. If the person isn't born with it, it will probably overtake them. And don't think that every strong light or dark person can hold the other without being affected. One of my brothers is a very strong light with the responsibility of holding on to a darkness, but he can't always access it otherwise he would be consumed by it. I'm also a strong light and I don't think I would do much better."

"So what about Jade and Krypton? Are they able to and why are they considered strong?" Tyson asked,

"Jade is able to stay with people who have fallen into darkness or who have darkness and not be consumed by it. Krypton has power within this place of darkness, but doesn't abuse or misuse it."

Kai looked at Rei, motioning him not to say anything. He could tell that they both knew he couldn't have known that kind of information since it seemed like Kaiba never found that out. Even though Krypton never hides, they're a small time gang that most people don't even know about.

"Didn't you say that those qualities make the person the strongest?" Kenny asked.

TK smiled, "Yes, that's true, but they aren't completely surrounded by their opposite. Most of the people they're around are fallen light, so Jade can be around those of light and Krypton can be in the feeling of darkness since fallen lights are people who can't escape the darkness. Neither Jade nor Krypton can help those that have fallen to get out. They also can't hold onto their opposites."

"So what I mentioned before," Kai asked, "what are your thoughts on why he could keep this dark beast?" Rei was still making more tea so he figured a longer rest would be beneficial to the group.

"His darkness is strong enough to hold and control other dark beings. Jade could also be helping with that control since she probably suppresses the dark power to be at a controllable level. She had practiced with that when she was younger, so she's probably doing that without realizing it."

"Why was she taught that?" Max asked, having to seem like he believed in this stuff because of what he stated earlier.

"We had a situation occurred that we weren't really expecting. A very strong darkness had been absorbed by someone and she was the only light that this person could be around constantly, so we had her learn to suppress that darkness to be at a level that the person could start to learn how to control it on their own. It didn't really get to that point before they left."

Patamon suddenly jerked his head in a direction. "Company."

TK got up, following his gaze and getting ready to fight, "How are you guys doing?"

"They shouldn't be fighting." Rei said, with everyone getting up.

"I'll draw them away from you guys then. Try to get away as fast as you can in that direction." TK pointed towards the general area that they were heading before they stopped. "Start heading in the direction now, but try not to draw attention."

They started to walk in the direction, being as quick as they could without being too loud. Max and Ed were in the lead as Rei was at the end. "I'll get us away once we're out of his range more." Max said to everyone once they were out of his ear shot. Draciel was already spinning next to him, allowing him to know where the creatures were. He noticed that there was something different about Patamon. Even though he was a creature, he had a lot more of their elements than this world. All the other creatures, including the one that they can't beat, have a high percentage of this world element within them than their elements. It was like this world element was more important and their elements were impurities that gave each creature their unique properties. In this light, Patamon would have more impurities within him.

Kai started to notice a shaking coming from Rei's hands. He wondered what was wrong, but knew he couldn't bring attention to it. The ground suddenly shift underneath their feet, moving at a fast pace towards the direction that they were walking in before. Max noticed that some of the creatures turned towards them, meaning that they were going to have to fight. "I'll try to get us away from the creatures as much as we can. Rei, you might have to be ready to fight." Max said, though not looking back.

Rei stood up with Driger in his hands. Kai looked at him, seeing none of the fear or worry that was exposed in his hand a moment ago. He wondered how helpful this truly was for Rei as they moved faster.

Poor Rei. He doesn't get a break, does he? After remembering what happened to him, he still has to work. I hope that Kai can help him out with that. But otherwise, Max is a really bright kid. And too bad TK and Patamon couldn't stay with them. They probably could've given more information that would've been useful. Still, we still don't know who the person was that brought Rei back. I also wonder why Rei likes to be vague about stuff and we still don't know where the Bit Beast come from, now that I think about it… Maybe they will be revealed later.


End file.
